Church History 2.22–2.28
Greek text: GCS 19.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3 (1892), trans. B. Jackson.
Chapter 2
2.22GCS 19:157–158
Χρόνου δὲ διελθόντος. ὑπὸ τῶν Εὐδοξίου κατηγόρων ὑπομνησθεὶς ὁ Κωνστάντιος εἰς Σελεύχειαν τὴν σύνοδον γενέσθαι προσέταξε᾽ πόλις δὲ αὕτη τῆς Ισαυρίας πρὸς τῇ θαλάττῃ κειμένη καὶ τῶν ὁμοφύλων πόλεων ἡγουμένη. εἰς ταύτην ἀθροισθῆναι τοὺς τῆς Ἑῴας ἐπισκόπους καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ποντικῆς καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἀσιανῆς παρηγγύησε. κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν Καισαρείας μὲν τῆς Παλαιστίνων μητροπόλεως ᾿ἡχκάκιος ἡγεῖτο, διαδεξάμενος τὸν Εὐσέβιον. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν ᾿᾿κάκιον ἡ ἐν τῇ Σαρδικῇ συναθροισθεῖσα σύνοδος ἀπεχήρυξεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν οὐχ ἐδέξατο φῆφον, τοσούτου πλήθους ἀρχιερέων καταφρονήσας. τῶν δέ γε Ἱεροσολύμων μετὰ Μακάριον ἐκεῖνον, οὗ πολλάκις ἐμνήσθην, Διάξιμος τὴν προεδρίαν παρέλαβεν, ἀνὴρ ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας διαπρέψας ἀγῶσι" τόν τε γὰρ δεξιὸν ὀφθαλμὸν ἀφήρητο καὶ τῆς ἀγκύλης ἐστέρητο τῆς δεξιᾶς. τούτου δὲ εἰς τὸν ἀγήρω μεταστάντος βίον. Κύριλλος τῆς ἐπισκοπικῆς χάριτος ἠξιώθη, τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων προθύμως ὑπερμαχῶν. οὗτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ πρωτείων φιλονεικοῦντες μεγίστων κακῶν τοῖς κοινοῖς ἐγένοντο πρόξενοι. ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀχάκιος μικράς τινας εὑρὼν ἀφορμὰς χκαθεῖλε τὸν Κύριλλον καὶ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐξήλασεν. ὁ δὲ Κύριλλος τὴν μὲν Ἀντιόχειαν παρελήλυθε ποιμένος αὐτὴν ἐστερημένην εὑρών, εἰς δὲ Ταρσὸν ἀφικόμενος τῷ θαυμασίῳ συνῆν Σιλβανῷ᾽ οὗτος γὰρ κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον ἐκείνης ἡγεῖτο τῆς ἐκκλησίας. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ ᾿ἀχάκιος ἐπέστειλε τῷ Σιλβανφ!καὶ τὴν καθαίρεσιν τοῦ Κυρίλλου μεμήνυκεν. ὁ δέ, καὶ τὸν Κύριλλον αἰδούμενος καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ὑφορώμενος (ἥδιστα γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίλλου διδασκαλίας ἀπήλαυε), τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς οὐκ ἐκώλυσε λειτουργίας. ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνῆλθον εἰς τὴν Σελεύχειαν, ἐκοινώνει μὲν τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Βασίλειον καὶ Εὐστάθιον καὶ Σιλβανὸν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ὁ Κύριλλος τοῦ συνεδρίου. ὃ δέ γε ᾿Δχάκιος ἀφίκετο μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τοὺς συνελὴηλυθότας ἐπισκόπους (πεντήκοντα δὲ ἤσαν καὶ ἑκατόν), ἔφασκε δὲ μὴ πρότερον αὐτοῖς κοινωνήσειν τῶν βουλευμάτων πρὶν ἔξω γενέσθαι τοῦ συλλόγου τὸν Κύριλλον, ἅτε δὴ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης γεγυμνωμένον. καί τινὲς μὲν τῶν τῆς εἰρήνης προμηθ ουμένων ὑποχωρῆσαι τὸν Κύριλλον ἱκέτευον, ὑπισχνούμενοι μετὰ τὴν τῶν δογμάτων διάκρισιν καὶ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐξετάσειν ὑπόθεσιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ εἶξε, καταλιπὼν μὲν αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἀκάχιος ἐξελήλυθεν, ΕΒὐδοξίῳ ὁὲ συγγενόμενος τὸ μὲν ἐγκείμενον ἐξήλασε δέος, θάρσος δὲ ἐνέθηκε συνήγορος αὐτοῦ καὶ συναγωνιστὴς ὑποσχόμενος ἔσεσθαι. καὶ εἰς μὲν τὸ συνέδριον εἰσελθεῖν διεκώλυσε, τὴν δὲ Κωνσταντινούπολιν σὺν ἐκείνῳ κατέλαβε.
Chronou de dielthontos. hypo tōn Eudoxiou katēgorōn hypomnēstheis ho Kōnstantios eis Seleucheian tēn synodon genesthai prosetaxe᾽ polis de hautē tēs Isaurias pros tę̄ thalattę̄ keimenē kai tōn homophylōn poleōn hēgoumenē. eis tautēn athroisthēnai tous tēs Heǭas episkopous kai men dē kai tous tēs Pontikēs kai tous tēs Asianēs parēngyēse. kata touton de ton kairon Kaisareias men tēs Palaistinōn mētropoleōs ᾿hēchkakios hēgeito, diadexamenos ton Eusebion. touton de ton ᾿᾿kakion hē en tę̄ Sardikę̄ synathroistheisa synodos apechēryxen, alla tēn exenechtheisan ouch edexato phēphon, tosoutou plēthous archiereōn kataphronēsas. tōn de ge Hierosolymōn meta Makarion ekeinon, hou pollakis emnēsthēn, Diaximos tēn proedrian parelaben, anēr en tois hyper eusebeias diaprepsas agōsi" ton te gar dexion ophthalmon aphērēto kai tēs ankylēs esterēto tēs dexias. toutou de eis ton agērō metastantos bion. Kyrillos tēs episkopikēs charitos ēxiōthē, tōn apostolikōn dogmatōn prothymōs hypermachōn. houtoi pros allēlous peri prōteiōn philoneikountes megistōn kakōn tois koinois egenonto proxenoi. ho men gar Achakios mikras tinas heurōn aphormas chkatheile ton Kyrillon kai tōn Hierosolymōn exēlasen. ho de Kyrillos tēn men Antiocheian parelēlythe poimenos autēn esterēmenēn heurōn, eis de Tarson aphikomenos tǭ thaumasiǭ synēn Silbanǭ᾽ houtos gar kat᾽ ekeinon ton chronon ekeinēs hēgeito tēs ekklēsias. touto mathōn ho ᾿achakios epesteile tǭ Silbanph!kai tēn kathairesin tou Kyrillou memēnyken. ho de, kai ton Kyrillon aidoumenos kai to plēthos hyphorōmenos (hēdista gar tēs tou Kyrillou didaskalias apēlaue), tēs ekklēsiastikēs ouk ekōlyse leitourgias. epeidē de synēlthon eis tēn Seleucheian, ekoinōnei men tois amphi ton Basileion kai Eustathion kai Silbanon kai tois loipois ho Kyrillos tou synedriou. ho de ge ᾿Dchakios aphiketo men kai autos pros tous synelēēlythotas episkopous (pentēkonta de ēsan kai hekaton), ephaske de mē proteron autois koinōnēsein tōn bouleumatōn prin exō genesthai tou syllogou ton Kyrillon, hate dē tēs archierōsynēs gegymnōmenon. kai tines men tōn tēs eirēnēs promēth oumenōn hypochōrēsai ton Kyrillon hiketeuon, hypischnoumenoi meta tēn tōn dogmatōn diakrisin kai tēn kat᾽ auton exetasein hypothesin. epeidē de ouk eixe, katalipōn men autous ho Akachios exelēlythen, EBydoxiǭ hoe syngenomenos to men enkeimenon exēlase deos, tharsos de enethēke synēgoros autou kai synagōnistēs hyposchomenos esesthai. kai eis men to synedrion eiselthein diekōlyse, tēn de Kōnstantinoupolin syn ekeinǭ katelabe.
After some time, reminded by Eudoxius's accusers, Constantius ordered the synod to be held at Seleucia, a city of Isauria lying by the sea and the chief of the cities of that people. He directed the bishops of the East, and also those of Pontus and of Asia, to assemble there. At this time Acacius led Caesarea, the metropolis of the Palestinians, having succeeded Eusebius. The synod assembled at Sardica had deposed this Acacius, but he did not accept the sentence passed, despising so great a number of high priests. In Jerusalem, after that Macarius whom I have often mentioned, Maximus received the presidency, a man distinguished in the contests for true religion; for he had been deprived of his right eye and of the use of his right knee. When he departed to the ageless life, Cyril was counted worthy of the episcopal grace, an eager defender of the apostolic doctrines. These two, contending with each other over precedence, became the cause of great evils to the common good. For Acacius, finding some slight pretexts, deposed Cyril and drove him out of Jerusalem. Cyril passed by Antioch, finding it deprived of a shepherd, and going to Tarsus he stayed with the admirable Silvanus, who then led that church. Learning this, Acacius wrote to Silvanus and informed him of Cyril's deposition. But Silvanus, out of respect for Cyril and in apprehension of the people (who greatly enjoyed Cyril's teaching), did not prevent him from ministering in the church.
When they came together at Seleucia, Cyril was in communion with Basil, Eustathius, Silvanus, and the rest of the council. Acacius too came to the assembled bishops (there were one hundred and fifty), but said that he would not share their deliberations until Cyril, as one stripped of the high priesthood, was outside the assembly. Some who cared for peace begged Cyril to withdraw, promising to examine his case too after the decision on doctrine. When he did not yield, Acacius left them and went out; and joining Eudoxius he dispelled his fear and gave him courage, promising to be his advocate and fellow combatant. He prevented him from entering the council, and went with him to Constantinople.
Notes and citation
Summary: Constantius moves the synod to Seleucia; Theodoret explains the quarrel over precedence in which Acacius of Caesarea deposed Cyril of Jerusalem, and how at Seleucia Acacius refused to sit with Cyril, walked out, and went with Eudoxius to Constantinople.
- “The use of his right knee” (τῆς ἀγκύλης ... τῆς δεξιᾶς): see the note on 1.6; some understand the right arm.
- The council of Seleucia met in 359.
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.22 (GCS 19:157–158; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-22). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-22
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.23GCS 19:158–162
Κωνστάντιος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑσπέρας ἐπανελθὼν ἐν ταύτῃ διέτριβε. πολλὰ δὲ τῶν συνεληλυθότων ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως κατηγορήσας καὶ σύστημα πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποκαλέσας ἐπ᾽ ὀλέθρῳ καὶ λύμῃ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν συγκροτούμενον, τὸν βασιλέως ἀτῆψε θυμόν. οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ αὐτὸν χαλεπῆναι πεποίηκεν ἃ κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίλλου συντέθεικε. τὴν γὰρ ἱερὰν στολήν, ἣν ὁ πανεύφημος Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν Ἱεροσολύμων ἐκκλησίαν γεραίρων ἐδεδώκει Μακαρίῳ τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἀρχιερεῖ ἵνα ταύτην περιβαλλόμενος τὴν τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος ἐπιτελῇ λειτουργίαν (ἐκ χρυσῶν δὲ αὕτη κατεσχεύαστο νημάτων), πεπραχέναι τὸν Κύριλλον ἔφη, καὶ ταύτην τινὰ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θυμέλης λυγιζομένων πριάμενον περιβαλέσθαι μέν, ὀρχούμενον δὲ πεσεῖν καὶ συντριβῆναι καὶ θανάτῳ παραδοθῆναι. τοῦτονε, ἔφη. κοιρωνὸν ἔχοντες κρίνειν τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ δικάζειν ἐπιχειροῦσιε. Ταύτην λαβόντες τὴν ἀφορμὴν τῶν βασιλείων οἱ προστατεύοντες πείθουσι τὸν βασιλέα μὴ πᾶσαν ἀθροῖσαι τὴν σύνοδον (ἐδεδίεσαν γὰρ τοῦ πλήθους τὴν συμφωνίαν), ἀλλὰ δέκα τοὺς ἡγουμένου ς, ἐν τούτοις Εὐστάθιος ἣν ὁ Ἀρμένιος καὶ Βασίλειος ὁ Τ πλάτης καὶ Σιλβανὸς ὁ Ταρσοῦ καὶ ᾿Ἐξλεύσιος ὁ Κυϊζίχου. οὗτοι παραγενόμενοι παρεκάλουν τὸν βασιλέα τὴν Πυδοξίου βλασφημίαν τε καὶ παρανομίαν ἐξελεγχθῆναι. ὁ δὲ παρὰ τῶν τἀναντία φρονούντων διδασκόμενος ἔλεγε χρῆναι πρότερον τὰ κατὰ τὴν πίστιν διακριθῆναι, εἶθ᾽ οὕτω τὰ κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἐξετασθῆναι. τοῦ δὲ Βασιλείου τῇ προτέρᾳ συνηθείᾳ θαρρήσαντος καὶ σὺν παρρησίᾳ τὸν βασιλέα διελέγξαντος οἧς τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς ἐπιβουλεύοντα δόγμασι", ἐχαλέπηνε μὲν ὁ Κωνστάντιος, σιγῆσαι δὲ προσέταξε τὸν Βασίλειον, ὡς ζάλης αἴτιον ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις γιγνόμενον. παυσαμένου δὲ τοῦ Βασιλείου τῆς διαλέξεως, ἐπειδὴ τὰ τῆς πίστεως διακριθῆναι βούλει, βασιλεῦ, ὁ Εὐστάθιος ἔφη, ὅρα τὰς κατὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς βλασφημίας ὑπὸ Εὐδοξίου τετολμημέναςε. καὶ ἅμα λέγων ἐπέδωκεν ἔκθεσιν, ἡ πρὸς ἄλλοις πολλοῖς δυσσεβέσι καὶ ταῦτα προσέκειτο" τὰ ἀνομοίως προφερόμενα ἀνόμοια κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστίν" εἷς θεὸς ὃ πατὴρ ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς δι᾿ οὗ τὰ πάντα' ἀνόμοιον δὲ τὸ ἐξ οὗ τῷ δὲ οὗ" ἀνόμοιος ἄρα ὃ υἱὸς τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρίς. ταύτην ἀναγνωσθῆναι κελεύσας τὴν ἔχθεσιν ὁ Κωνστάντιος καὶ σφόδρα χαλεπήνας πρὸς τὴν ἐγκειμένην ἀσέβειαν, ἤρετο τὸν Εὐδόξιον εἰ αὐτὸς ταῦτα συνέγραψεν" ὁ δὲ ἠρνήθη παραυτίκα καὶ ταῦτα γεγραφέναι τὸν ᾿Δέτιον ἔφη. ᾿“έτιος δὲ αὐτὸς ἦν ὃν πάλαι μὲν “εόντιος τὰς Φλαβιανοῦ καὶ “ποδώρου κατηγορίας δεδιξάμενος τῆς διακονίας ἐγύμνωσε, Γεώργιος δὲ ὁ τῆς ᾿λεξανδρέων ἐπίβουλος συνεργὸν εἶχε καὶ τῶν δυσσεβῶν ῥημάτων καὶ τῶν ἀνοσίων ἐγχειρημάτων" τότε μέντοι μετ᾽ Πὐνομίου τῷ Πυδοξίῳ συνῆν. Δεοντίου γὰρ δὴ τετελευτηκότος καὶ Βὐδοξίου τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας ἡρπακότος τὴν προεδρίαν, ἐπανῆκεν ἀπὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τὸν Βὐνόμιον ἄγων καὶ τὸν Πύὐδόξιον εὐρὼν ὁμόφρονα καὶ πρὸς τῇ δυσσεβείᾳ καὶ Συβαριτικῇ κεχρημένον χλιδῇ, πάντων προὐτίμησε τὴν ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διατριβὴν καὶ σὺν Πὐνομίῳ ταῖς ἐκείγου προσηλώθη στιβάσι’ τὸν γὰρ τῶν κολάκων ἐζηλώκει βίον, καὶ νῦν μὲν παρὰ τοῦτον νῦν δὲ παρ᾽ ἐκεῖνον διετέλει φοιτῶν τε καὶ γαστριζόμενος. τότε μέντοι ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο μαθὼν εἰσαχθῆναί τε προσέταξε τὸν ᾿Δέτιον καὶ εἰσεληλυθότι τὴν ἔχθεσιν ἐκείνην ὑπέδειξε, πυνθανόμενος εἰ αὐτὸς ἐκείνους τετοκὼς εἴη τοὺς λόγους. ὁ δὲ καὶ τὰ γεγενημένα πάμπαν ἀγνοῶν καὶ τὸν τῆς πεύσεως οὐχ ἐπιστάμενος τρόπον, εὐφημίαν δὲ ἐκ τῆς ὁμολογίας χαρπώσασθαι προσδοκήσας, ἔφη τῶν λόγων ἐχκείρων αὐτὸς εἶναι γεννήτωρ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν τῆς δυσσεβείας ὑπερβολὴν κατιδὼν εὐθὺς αὐτὸν ἐξωστράκισεν, εἴς τί χωρίον τῆς Φρυγίας ἀπαχθῆν αι κελεύσας. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν τὴν ἐκ τῆς βλασφημίας καρπωσάμενος ἀτιμίαν ἐξεβλήθη τῶν βασιλείων. Εὐστάθιος δὲ καὶ τὸν Εὐδόξιον ἔφη ταῦτα φρονεῖν᾽ σύγοιχον γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ σύσσιτον τὸν ᾿Δέτιον εἶναι καὶ τῇ τούτου γνώμῃ διακονοῦντα ἐκεῖνον τὴν βλασφημίαν συγγεγραφέναι. καὶ τεκμήριον ἔλεγεν εἶναι σαφὲς τοῦ συνειδέναι τοῖς γεγραμμένοις τὸ μηδένα ἕτερον ἀλλ᾿ αὐτὸν εἰρηκέναι ᾿Δετίου εἶναι τὴν ἔχθεσιν. ἀλλ᾽ οὐ χρὴ τοπάζοντας τοὺς δικάζοντας χρίνεινε, ὃ βασιλεὺς ἔφη, τὰ δὲ πεπραγμένα σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ ζητεῖν. νοὐχοῦνε, ἔφη ὁ Εὐστάθιος, πεισάτω πάντας ἡμᾶς μὴ ταῦτα φρονεῖν ὁ Εὐδόξιος, ἀναθεματίξζων τοῦ ᾿Δετίου τὸ σύγγραμμα. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀσπαστῶς δεξαμένου τὴν αἴτησιν καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθαι προστεταχότος, ἀνεδύετο μὲν ὁ Εὺδόξιος καὶ πολλαῖς ἐκέχρητο μηχαναῖς ἐκκλῖναι τὴν πρόκλησιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐχαλέπηνεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ σὺν Ἀετίῳ πέμψειν ἠπείλησεν ὡς τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς φρονήματος κοινωνόν, τὴν οἰκείαν ἠρνήθη διδασκαλίαν, ἣν καὶ τότε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρεσβεύων διατετέλεχεν. ἀντεπήγαγε μέντοι καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς περὶ τὸν Εὐστάθιον, χρῆναι καὶ αὐτοὺς ἄναθεματίσαι λέγων ἄγραφον ὃν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου τὸ πρόσρημα. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντωνςε, ὁ Σιλβανὸ ς ἔφη, καὶ τὸ κτίσμα καὶ τὸ ἕτεροοὔσιον, ἄγραφα τυγχάνοντα καὶ οὔτε προφητικοῖς οὔτε ἀποστολικοῖς λογίοις προσκείμενα, δίκαιον αὐτοὺς ἀποκηρῦξαι καὶ θείων ἐξελάσαι συλλόγων.ε τούτοις καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεψήφισε καὶ ἀναθεματίζειν ἐκείνους ἐκέλευσεν. οἱ δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα εἰς ἀντιλογίαν καθίσταντο" ὕστερον δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν θυμὸν θεασάμενοι, δυσχεραίνοντες μέν, ἀπέκηρυξαν δὲ ὅμως ἅπερ ὁ Σιλβανὸς αὐτοῖς προύτεινεν. ᾿Ἐπέχειντο δὲ λοιπὸν σφοδρότερον, τοῦ ὁμοουσίου τὸν ἀναθεματισμὸν εἰσπραττόμενοι. ἀλλὰ συλλογιστικῶς τε καὶ ἀληθῶς ὁ Σιλβανὸς πρός τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἔφη) εἰ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων οὐχ ἔστιν οὔτε κτίσμα οὔτε ἐξ ἑτέρας οὐσίας ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ὁμοούσιος ἄρα ἐστὶ τῷ γεγεννηχότι θεῷ, ὡς θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτός, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει τῷ γεννήτορι φύσιν ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ δυνατῶς καὶ ἀληθῶς εἰρήκει, ἐπείθετο δὲ τῶν παρόντων οὐδείς, ἀλλὰ βοή τε πολλὴ τῶν περὶ Εὐδόξιον καὶ ᾿ἀκάκιον ἐγίνετο καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐχαλέπηνε καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξελάσειν ἠπείλησεν. Ελεύσιος δὲ καὶ Σιλβανὸς σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ αὐτὸν ἔφασαν ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν τῆς τιμωρίας καὶ σφὰς αὐτοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἢ δυσσεβείας" οὐ μὴν προἤσεσθαι τὴν πατρῴαν διδασκαλίαν. ὁ δὲ Κωνστάντιος, θαυμάζειν δέον καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δογμάτων παρρησίαν, τοὺς μὲν ἐξήλασε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ἑτέρους δὲ ἀντ᾽ αὐτῶν καταστῆναι προσέταξε. τότε τῆς μὲν Κωνσταντινουπολιτῶν ἐκκλησίας ὁ Εὐδόξιος τυραννικῶς ἁρπάζει τὸν θρόνον, τῆς δὲ Κυζίκου τὸν Ἐλεύσιον ἐξελάσας ἀντ᾽ ἐκείνου κατέστησε τὸν "ὺνόμιον.
Kōnstantios gar apo tēs Hesperas epanelthōn en tautę̄ dietribe. polla de tōn synelēlythotōn epi tou basileōs katēgorēsas kai systēma ponērōn anthrōpōn apokalesas ep᾽ olethrǭ kai lymę̄ tōn ekklēsiōn synkrotoumenon, ton basileōs atēpse thymon. ouch hēkista de auton chalepēnai pepoiēken ha kata tou Kyrillou syntetheike. tēn gar hieran stolēn, hēn ho paneuphēmos Kōnstantinos ho basileus tēn Hierosolymōn ekklēsian gerairōn ededōkei Makariǭ tǭ tēs poleōs ekeinēs archierei hina tautēn periballomenos tēn tou theiou baptismatos epitelę̄ leitourgian (ek chrysōn de hautē katescheuasto nēmatōn), peprachenai ton Kyrillon ephē, kai tautēn tina tōn epi tēs thymelēs lygizomenōn priamenon peribalesthai men, orchoumenon de pesein kai syntribēnai kai thanatǭ paradothēnai. toutone, ephē. koirōnon echontes krinein tois allois kai dikazein epicheirousie. Tautēn labontes tēn aphormēn tōn basileiōn hoi prostateuontes peithousi ton basilea mē pasan athroisai tēn synodon (edediesan gar tou plēthous tēn symphōnian), alla deka tous hēgoumenou s, en toutois Eustathios hēn ho Armenios kai Basileios ho T platēs kai Silbanos ho Tarsou kai ᾿Exleusios ho Kyïzichou. houtoi paragenomenoi parekaloun ton basilea tēn Pydoxiou blasphēmian te kai paranomian exelenchthēnai. ho de para tōn tanantia phronountōn didaskomenos elege chrēnai proteron ta kata tēn pistin diakrithēnai, eith᾽ houtō ta kat᾽ ekeinon exetasthēnai. tou de Basileiou tę̄ proterą synētheią tharrēsantos kai syn parrēsią ton basilea dielenxantos hoēs tois apostolikois epibouleuonta dogmasi", echalepēne men ho Kōnstantios, sigēsai de prosetaxe ton Basileion, hōs zalēs aition tais ekklēsiais gignomenon. pausamenou de tou Basileiou tēs dialexeōs, epeidē ta tēs pisteōs diakrithēnai boulei, basileu, ho Eustathios ephē, hora tas kata tou monogenous blasphēmias hypo Eudoxiou tetolmēmenase. kai hama legōn epedōken ekthesin, hē pros allois pollois dyssebesi kai tauta prosekeito" ta anomoiōs propheromena anomoia kata tēn ousian estin" heis theos ho patēr ex hou ta panta, kai heis kyrios Iēsous Christos di᾿ hou ta panta' anomoion de to ex hou tǭ de hou" anomoios ara ho huios tǭ theǭ kai patris. tautēn anagnōsthēnai keleusas tēn echthesin ho Kōnstantios kai sphodra chalepēnas pros tēn enkeimenēn asebeian, ēreto ton Eudoxion ei autos tauta synegrapsen" ho de ērnēthē parautika kai tauta gegraphenai ton ᾿Detion ephē. ᾿“etios de autos ēn hon palai men “eontios tas Phlabianou kai “podōrou katēgorias dedixamenos tēs diakonias egymnōse, Geōrgios de ho tēs ᾿lexandreōn epiboulos synergon eiche kai tōn dyssebōn rhēmatōn kai tōn anosiōn encheirēmatōn" tote mentoi met᾽ Pynomiou tǭ Pydoxiǭ synēn. Deontiou gar dē teteleutēkotos kai Bydoxiou tēs Antiocheōn ekklēsias hērpakotos tēn proedrian, epanēken apo tēs Aigyptou ton Bynomion agōn kai ton Pyydoxion eurōn homophrona kai pros tę̄ dyssebeią kai Sybaritikę̄ kechrēmenon chlidę̄, pantōn proutimēse tēn en Antiocheią diatribēn kai syn Pynomiǭ tais ekeigou prosēlōthē stibasi’ ton gar tōn kolakōn ezēlōkei bion, kai nyn men para touton nyn de par᾽ ekeinon dietelei phoitōn te kai gastrizomenos. tote mentoi ho basileus touto mathōn eisachthēnai te prosetaxe ton ᾿Detion kai eiselēlythoti tēn echthesin ekeinēn hypedeixe, pynthanomenos ei autos ekeinous tetokōs eiē tous logous. ho de kai ta gegenēmena pampan agnoōn kai ton tēs peuseōs ouch epistamenos tropon, euphēmian de ek tēs homologias charpōsasthai prosdokēsas, ephē tōn logōn echkeirōn autos einai gennētōr. ho de basileus tēn tēs dyssebeias hyperbolēn katidōn euthys auton exōstrakisen, eis ti chōrion tēs Phrygias apachthēn ai keleusas. Kai ekeinos men tēn ek tēs blasphēmias karpōsamenos atimian exeblēthē tōn basileiōn. Eustathios de kai ton Eudoxion ephē tauta phronein᾽ sygoichon gar autou kai syssiton ton ᾿Detion einai kai tę̄ toutou gnōmę̄ diakonounta ekeinon tēn blasphēmian syngegraphenai. kai tekmērion elegen einai saphes tou syneidenai tois gegrammenois to mēdena heteron all᾿ auton eirēkenai ᾿Detiou einai tēn echthesin. all᾽ ou chrē topazontas tous dikazontas chrineine, ho basileus ephē, ta de pepragmena syn akribeią zētein. nouchoune, ephē ho Eustathios, peisatō pantas hēmas mē tauta phronein ho Eudoxios, anathematixzōn tou ᾿Detiou to syngramma. tou de basileōs aspastōs dexamenou tēn aitēsin kai touto genesthai prostetachotos, anedyeto men ho Eudoxios kai pollais ekechrēto mēchanais ekklinai tēn proklēsin. epeidē de echalepēnen ho basileus kai syn Aetiǭ pempsein ēpeilēsen hōs tou dyssebous phronēmatos koinōnon, tēn oikeian ērnēthē didaskalian, hēn kai tote kai meta tauta presbeuōn diatetelechen. antepēgage mentoi kai autos tois peri ton Eustathion, chrēnai kai autous anathematisai legōn agraphon hon tou homoousiou to prosrēma. alla kai to ex ouk ontōnse, ho Silbano s ephē, kai to ktisma kai to heteroousion, agrapha tynchanonta kai oute prophētikois oute apostolikois logiois proskeimena, dikaion autous apokēryxai kai theiōn exelasai syllogōn.e toutois kai ho basileus epepsēphise kai anathematizein ekeinous ekeleusen. hoi de ta men prōta eis antilogian kathistanto" hysteron de tou basileōs ton thymon theasamenoi, dyscherainontes men, apekēryxan de homōs haper ho Silbanos autois prouteinen. ᾿Epecheinto de loipon sphodroteron, tou homoousiou ton anathematismon eisprattomenoi. alla syllogistikōs te kai alēthōs ho Silbanos pros te autous kai ton basilea ephē) ei ex ouk ontōn ouch estin oute ktisma oute ex heteras ousias ho theos logos, homoousios ara esti tǭ gegennēchoti theǭ, hōs theos ek theou kai phōs ek phōtos, kai tēn autēn echei tǭ gennētori physin alla tauta men kai dynatōs kai alēthōs eirēkei, epeitheto de tōn parontōn oudeis, alla boē te pollē tōn peri Eudoxion kai ᾿akakion egineto kai ho basileus echalepēne kai tōn ekklēsiōn exelasein ēpeilēsen. Eleusios de kai Silbanos syn tois allois kai auton ephasan exousian echein tēs timōrias kai sphas autous tēs eusebeias ē dyssebeias" ou mēn proēsesthai tēn patrǭan didaskalian. ho de Kōnstantios, thaumazein deon kai tēn sophian kai tēn andreian kai tēn hyper tōn apostolikōn dogmatōn parrēsian, tous men exēlase tōn ekklēsiōn, heterous de ant᾽ autōn katastēnai prosetaxe. tote tēs men Kōnstantinoupolitōn ekklēsias ho Eudoxios tyrannikōs harpazei ton thronon, tēs de Kyzikou ton Eleusion exelasas ant᾽ ekeinou katestēse ton "ynomion.
For Constantius, having returned from the West, was staying there. Acacius made many accusations against those who had come together before the emperor, calling them a gang of wicked men assembled for the ruin and destruction of the churches, and so kindled the emperor's anger. Not least did what he had composed against Cyril make him angry. He said that Cyril had sold the sacred robe which the all-praiseworthy emperor Constantine, honouring the church of Jerusalem, had given to Macarius, the high priest of that city, so that he might wear it when performing the rite of divine baptism (it was made of gold thread); and that one of the dancers of the theatre had bought it and put it on, and while dancing had fallen, been crushed, and died. “With such a man as their partner,” he said, “they undertake to judge and to try others.” Taking this occasion, those in charge of the palace persuaded the emperor not to assemble the whole synod (for they feared the agreement of the majority), but ten of the leaders. Among these were Eustathius the Armenian, Basil the Galatian, Silvanus of Tarsus, and Eleusius of Cyzicus.
These came and begged the emperor that the blasphemy and lawlessness of Eudoxius be exposed. But he, instructed by those of the opposite opinion, said that matters of faith must be decided first, and then Eudoxius's case examined. When Basil, emboldened by his former familiarity, boldly charged the emperor with plotting against the apostolic doctrines, Constantius was angry and ordered Basil to be silent, as one who was becoming a cause of storm in the churches. When Basil had stopped speaking, Eustathius said: “Since you wish matters of faith to be decided, emperor, look at the blasphemies against the only-begotten dared by Eudoxius.” And as he spoke he handed over a statement in which, besides many other impieties, these words were contained: “Things expressed unlike are unlike in essence. One God the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things. But ‘from whom’ is unlike ‘through whom’; therefore the Son is unlike God the Father.” Constantius ordered this statement to be read, and was very angry at the impiety it contained; he asked Eudoxius whether he had written it. He at once denied it and said that Aetius had written it.
This was the Aetius whom Leontius long before, fearing the accusations of Flavian and Diodore, had stripped of the diaconate, and whom George, the plotter against the Alexandrians, had had as a fellow worker in impious words and unholy undertakings. At that time, however, he was with Eudoxius, together with Eunomius. For when Leontius had died and Eudoxius had seized the presidency of the church of the Antiochenes, Aetius returned from Egypt bringing Eunomius, and finding Eudoxius of one mind with him, and given to Sybaritic luxury besides his impiety, he preferred living in Antioch to everything, and with Eunomius fastened himself to Eudoxius's couches; for he aspired to the life of a parasite, and continually went now to this man and now to that, filling his belly. At that time, then, the emperor, learning this, ordered Aetius to be brought in, showed him that statement when he came in, and asked whether he was the father of those words. He, knowing nothing of what had happened and not understanding the purpose of the question, but expecting to reap praise from the confession, said that he himself was the author of those words. The emperor, seeing the excess of impiety, at once banished him, ordering him to be taken to a place in Phrygia. So he, having reaped dishonour from his blasphemy, was cast out of the palace.
Eustathius said that Eudoxius too held these views; for Aetius lived and ate with him, and wrote the blasphemy serving his opinion. And he said that it was a clear proof of his knowing what was written that no one else but he himself had said the statement was Aetius's. “But judges must not judge by guessing,” said the emperor, “but must inquire into what was done with exactness.” “Then,” said Eustathius, “let Eudoxius persuade us all that he does not hold these views, by anathematizing the writing of Aetius.” The emperor gladly accepted the request and ordered this to be done. Eudoxius drew back and used many devices to evade the challenge; but when the emperor grew angry and threatened to send him off with Aetius as a sharer of the impious opinion, he denied his own teaching, which he continued to champion both then and afterwards. But he countered Eustathius's party, saying that they too ought to anathematize the term “of the same essence,” since it was unscriptural. “But ‘out of nothing,’” said Silvanus, “and ‘creature’ and ‘of another essence,’ being unscriptural and not contained in the words of the prophets or the apostles, it is right that they should repudiate and drive out of the divine assemblies.” The emperor voted for this and ordered them to anathematize those expressions. At first they took to arguing; but afterwards, seeing the emperor's anger, they repudiated, though unwillingly, what Silvanus had put to them. Then they pressed the more vehemently, demanding the anathematizing of “of the same essence.” But Silvanus said, logically and truly, to them and to the emperor: “If God the Word is not out of nothing, nor a creature, nor of another essence, then he is of the same essence as the God who begot him, as God from God and light from light, and he has the same nature as his begetter.” He had said this both powerfully and truly, but none of those present was persuaded; rather there was a great outcry from the party of Eudoxius and Acacius, and the emperor grew angry and threatened to drive them out of the churches. Eleusius and Silvanus with the others said that he had power to punish, and they themselves the choice of piety or impiety; but that they would not give up the teaching of their fathers. Constantius, who ought to have admired their wisdom, their courage, and their boldness for the apostolic doctrines, drove them out of the churches and ordered others to be appointed in their place. Then Eudoxius seized the throne of the church of the Constantinopolitans like a tyrant, and, driving Eleusius from Cyzicus, appointed Eunomius in his place.
1 Cor 8:6 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: At Constantinople Acacius turns Constantius against the bishops from Seleucia, slandering Cyril of Jerusalem; when Eustathius produces an Anomoean statement, Aetius admits authorship and is banished, Eudoxius is forced to disown it, Silvanus argues that rejecting “out of nothing” implies “of the same essence,” and the protesting bishops are expelled while Eudoxius takes Constantinople and Eunomius Cyzicus.
- The quoted statement is an Anomoean argument based on 1 Cor 8:6 (“from whom” and “through whom”); translated as printed.
- The story of the robe sold by Cyril is Acacius's accusation as Theodoret reports it; translated as written.
- “Sybaritic luxury”: proverbial, from the luxury of ancient Sybaris.
Topics: Christology, Trinity, Heresy, Church office, Baptism
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.23 (GCS 19:158–162; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-23). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-23
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.24GCS 19:162–165
καὶ τούτων δὲ οὕτως γεγενημένων, ἀποχηρυχθῆναι τὸν Ἀέτιον ἐγγράφως προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ τῆς δυσσεβείας οἱ κοινωνοὶ πεισθέντες ἀπεκήρυξαν τὸν ὁμόφρονα. ἔγραψαν δὲ καὶ πρὸς Πεώργιον τὸν τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἡγούμενον, τὰ κατὰ τοῦτον μηνύοντες. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τήνδε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐνθήσω τῇ συγγραφῇ, τὴν ἐκείνων μοχθηρίαν ἐπιδεικνύς. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς συμφωνοῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσι παραπλησίως ἐκέχρηντο. ντίγραφον τῶν γραφέντων ὑπὸ πάσης τῆς συνόδου Γεωργίῳ κατὰ [κ ετίου διακόνου αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν τῆς ἀθεμίτου αὐτοῦ βλασφημίας. Π ἁγία σύνοδος ἡ ἐν Κωυνσταντινουπόλει συνελθοῦσα κυρίῳ τιμιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ τῆς ᾿“λεξανδρείας Γεωργίῳ χαίρειν. δ γῆς ἐπ᾽ Ἀετίῳ γενομένης καταγνώσεως ὑπὸ τῆς συνόδου διὰ τὰς ἀθεμίτους αὐτοῦ καὶ σχανδάλων γεμούσας λογογραφίας, τὸ μὲν ἀχκόλουθον τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς κανόσιν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν ἐπισκύπων ἐπράχθη. καθηρέθη γὰρ τῆς διακονίας καὶ ἠλλοτριώθη τῆς ἐκκλησίας᾽ καὶ παραινέσεις παρ᾽ ἡμῶν παρηκολούθησαν. μήτε εἰς "ἀνάγνωσιν ἔρχεσθαι τὰς ἀθεμίτους αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολάς, διπτάζεσθαι δὲ "αὐτὰς διὰ τὸ ἄχρηστον καὶ ἀνωφελές. προστίθεμεν δὲ τούτοις κεὼὶ ἀναθεματίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐπιμείναν τα τῇ αὐτῇ προθέσει μετὰ τῶν συναινούντων αὐτῷ. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀκόλουθον ἣν κοινῇ πάντας τοὺς -συνελθόντας: ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ ἐπισκόπους ἀποστυγεῖν τὸν σκανδάλων "καὶ ταραχῶν καὶ σχισμάτοων αἴτιον καὶ θρύλου τοῦ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἃ καὶ στάσεως πρὸς ἀλλήλας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ὁμονοεῖν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐξενεχθεῖσαν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ ψῆφον. ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ εὐχὰς ἡμετέρας καὶ παρὰ προσδοκίαν πᾶσαν Σέρρας καὶ Στέφανος καὶ Ἡλιόδωρος καὶ Θεόφιλος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτοῖς οὐ συνεψηφίσαντο ταῖς ἡμετέραις γνώμαις οὐδὲ ᾽συνυπογράψαι ταῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ψήφοις ἐξενεχθείσαις ἠβουλήθησαν. καίτοι τοῦ Σέρρα καὶ ἄλλην ἀλαζονίαν μανιώδη κατηγοροῦντος τοῦ προειρημένου Ἀετίου. ἔφασκε γὰρ αὐτὸν θρασυτέρᾳ τόλμῃ προπηδῶντα λέγειν ὡς ἅπερ ὁ θεὸς ἀπέκρυψεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων μέχρι νῦν, ταῦτα ἀποκεκαλύφθαι αὐτῷ διαβεβαιοῦσθαι. καὶ μετὰ τοὺς μανιώδεις καὶ ἀλαζονιχοὺς τούτους λόγους ὑπὸ τοῦ “έρρα μεμαρτυρημένους περὶ τοῦ ᾿Δετίου οὐκ ἐδυσωποῦντο οὐδὲ παρεχαλοῦντο συμφηφίσασθαι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ οἱ προειρημένοι κρίνειν. ἑὍμως δὲ ἡμεῖς μαχροθυμοῦντες ἐπὶ πλείονα χρόνον συμπεριεφψηφίσθημεν αὐτοῖς, τὰ μὲν ἀγανακτοῦντες, τὰ δὲ παρακαλοῦντες, τὰ δὲ ἐπιτιμῶντες, τὰ δὲ καὶ δυσωποῦντες συνήκειν αὐτοὺς καὶ σύμφωνα ἀποφήνασθαι τῇ συνόδῳ πάσῃ προσεχαρτεροῦμεν δὲ ἐὰν ἄρα ἀκούσωσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα συνῶσι καὶ ἐνδῶσιν. ὡς δὲ ἐπὶ πολλῷ τῷ "χρόνῳ προσκαρτερήσαντες ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐδυσωποῦμεν αὐτοὺς ἀχολουθεῖν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ προειρημένου ἀνδρὸς ἀποφάσεσι, τὸν κανόνα τῆς "ἐκκλησίας τιμιώτερον ἡγούμενοι τῆς φιλίας τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὡρίσαμεν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀκοινωνησίαν, χρόνον εἰς τοῦτο διδόντες αὐτοῖς μῆνας ὅλους ἕξ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ μετάνοιαν καὶ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἑνώσεῶς καὶ συμφωνίας τῆς πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον" ἐὰν εἴσω τῆς δοθείσης αὐτοῖς προθεσμίας ἐπιστρέψαντες ἕλωνται τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν ὁμόνοιαν καὶ συνθῶνται τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁρισθεῖσι, δεκτοὺς αὐτοὺς εἶναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐδοκιμάσαμεν καὶ ταῖς συνόδοις καὶ τὴν οἱκείαν παρρησίαν καὶ ἀγάπην πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπολαμβάνειν. εἰ δὲ ἐπιμένοιεν ἀμεταμέλητα τολμῶντες καὶ φιλίαν ἀνθρώπων τῶν κανόνων τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς συμφωνίας προτιμήσαντες, τότε ἀλλοτρίους αὐτοὺς ἡγούμεθα τῆς ἐπισκοπικῆς ἀξίας. καθαίρεσιν δὲ αὖτῶν ὑπομενόντων, ἀναγκαῖον εἰς τόπους αὐτῶν ἑτέρους καθίσταεσθαι ἐπισκόπους, ἵνα ἡ ἔνθεσμος ἐκκλησία τὴν προσήκουσαν τάξιν "λαβοῦσα συμφωνῇ πρὸς ἑαυτήν, τῶν πανταχόθεν ἐπισκόπων τὸν σύνδεσμον τῆς ἀγάπης φυλαττόντων, διὰ τοῦ λέγειν τὰ αὐτά, -χατηρτισμένους τῷ αὐτῷ νοὶ καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ γνώμης. ἵνα οὐν -γιιώσχῃς τὰ τῇ συνόδῳ δόξαντα, ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν σὴν εὐλάβειαν ἀπεστείλαμεν᾽ ἅπερ εὐχόμεθά σε διαφυλάττοντα χάριτε Χριστοῦ εἰρηνικῶς καὶ ἐνθέσμως κυβερνᾶν τὰς ὑπὸ σὲ ἐκκλησίας.
kai toutōn de houtōs gegenēmenōn, apochērychthēnai ton Aetion engraphōs prosetaxen ho basileus, kai tēs dyssebeias hoi koinōnoi peisthentes apekēryxan ton homophrona. egrapsan de kai pros Peōrgion ton tēs Alexandreōn hēgoumenon, ta kata touton mēnyontes. egō de kai tēnde tēn epistolēn enthēsō tę̄ syngraphę̄, tēn ekeinōn mochthērian epideiknys. kai gar kai tois symphōnousi kai tois antilegousi paraplēsiōs ekechrēnto. ntigraphon tōn graphentōn hypo pasēs tēs synodou Geōrgiǭ kata [k etiou diakonou autou heneken tēs athemitou autou blasphēmias. P hagia synodos hē en Kōynstantinoupolei synelthousa kyriǭ timiōtatǭ episkopǭ tēs ᾿“lexandreias Geōrgiǭ chairein. d gēs ep᾽ Aetiǭ genomenēs katagnōseōs hypo tēs synodou dia tas athemitous autou kai schandalōn gemousas logographias, to men achkolouthon tois ekklēsiastikois kanosin ep᾿ autǭ para tōn episkypōn eprachthē. kathērethē gar tēs diakonias kai ēllotriōthē tēs ekklēsias᾽ kai paraineseis par᾽ hēmōn parēkolouthēsan. mēte eis "anagnōsin erchesthai tas athemitous autou epistolas, diptazesthai de "autas dia to achrēston kai anōpheles. prostithemen de toutois keōi anathematizesthai auton epimeinan ta tę̄ autę̄ prothesei meta tōn synainountōn autǭ. to men oun akolouthon hēn koinę̄ pantas tous -synelthontas: en tę̄ synodǭ episkopous apostygein ton skandalōn "kai tarachōn kai schismatoōn aition kai thrylou tou kata tēn oikoumenēn ha kai staseōs pros allēlas tōn ekklēsiōn, homonoein de pros tēn exenechtheisan kat᾽ autou psēphon. alla par᾽ euchas hēmeteras kai para prosdokian pasan Serras kai Stephanos kai Hēliodōros kai Theophilos kai hoi syn autois ou synepsēphisanto tais hēmeterais gnōmais oude ᾽synypograpsai tais peri autou psēphois exenechtheisais ēboulēthēsan. kaitoi tou Serra kai allēn alazonian maniōdē katēgorountos tou proeirēmenou Aetiou. ephaske gar auton thrasyterą tolmę̄ propēdōnta legein hōs haper ho theos apekrypsen apo tōn apostolōn mechri nyn, tauta apokekalyphthai autǭ diabebaiousthai. kai meta tous maniōdeis kai alazonichous toutous logous hypo tou “erra memartyrēmenous peri tou ᾿Detiou ouk edysōpounto oude parechalounto symphēphisasthai pasin hēmin peri autou hoi proeirēmenoi krinein. heOmōs de hēmeis machrothymountes epi pleiona chronon symperiephpsēphisthēmen autois, ta men aganaktountes, ta de parakalountes, ta de epitimōntes, ta de kai dysōpountes synēkein autous kai symphōna apophēnasthai tę̄ synodǭ pasę̄ prosecharteroumen de ean ara akousōsin, ean ara synōsi kai endōsin. hōs de epi pollǭ tǭ "chronǭ proskarterēsantes hēmeis ouk edysōpoumen autous acholouthein tais peri tou proeirēmenou andros apophasesi, ton kanona tēs "ekklēsias timiōteron hēgoumenoi tēs philias tōn andrōn, hōrisamen kat᾽ autōn akoinōnēsian, chronon eis touto didontes autois mēnas holous hex pros epistrophēn kai metanoian kai pros epithymian henōseōs kai symphōnias tēs pros tēn synodon" ean eisō tēs dotheisēs autois prothesmias epistrepsantes helōntai tēn pros tous adelphous autōn homonoian kai synthōntai tois peri autou horistheisi, dektous autous einai tēs ekklēsias edokimasamen kai tais synodois kai tēn hoikeian parrēsian kai agapēn pros hēmas apolambanein. ei de epimenoien ametamelēta tolmōntes kai philian anthrōpōn tōn kanonōn tēs ekklēsias kai tēs pros hēmas symphōnias protimēsantes, tote allotrious autous hēgoumetha tēs episkopikēs axias. kathairesin de autōn hypomenontōn, anankaion eis topous autōn heterous kathistaesthai episkopous, hina hē enthesmos ekklēsia tēn prosēkousan taxin "labousa symphōnę̄ pros heautēn, tōn pantachothen episkopōn ton syndesmon tēs agapēs phylattontōn, dia tou legein ta auta, -chatērtismenous tǭ autǭ noi kai tę̄ autę̄ gnōmēs. hina oun -giiōschę̄s ta tę̄ synodǭ doxanta, tauta pros tēn sēn eulabeian apesteilamen᾽ haper euchometha se diaphylattonta charite Christou eirēnikōs kai enthesmōs kybernan tas hypo se ekklēsias.
When this had been done, the emperor ordered Aetius to be repudiated in writing, and the partners of his impiety, persuaded, repudiated the man of their own mind. They also wrote to George, the leader of the Alexandrians, informing him of Aetius's case. I shall insert this letter too in my history, showing their wickedness; for they treated those who agreed with them and those who opposed them alike.
[Copy of what was written by the whole synod to George against his deacon Aetius, on account of his lawless blasphemy.]
“The holy synod that came together at Constantinople to the lord George, most honoured bishop of Alexandria: greeting.
When the synod condemned Aetius for his lawless writings full of offences, what was consistent with the ecclesiastical canons was done in his case by the bishops. He was deposed from the diaconate and estranged from the church; and admonitions from us followed, that his lawless letters should not come to be read, but should be thrown away as useless and unprofitable. We add to this that he is to be anathematized if he persists in the same purpose, together with those who agree with him. It would have been consistent, then, for all the bishops who came together in the synod to abhor in common the cause of offences, disturbances, and schisms, of the talk throughout the world and of the dissension of the churches with one another, and to agree with the sentence passed against him. But contrary to our prayers and to every expectation, Serras, Stephen, Heliodorus, Theophilus, and those with them did not vote with our judgments, and were not willing to sign the sentences passed concerning him; although Serras accused the aforesaid Aetius of another mad boast as well. For he said that Aetius, leaping forward with bolder daring, affirmed that what God had hidden from the apostles until now had been revealed to him. And after these mad and boastful words, testified by Serras about Aetius, the aforesaid men were neither put to shame nor persuaded to vote with all of us about him. Nevertheless we, being patient, bore with them for a longer time, now indignant, now exhorting, now rebuking, now shaming them into coming together and declaring agreement with the whole synod; and we persevered, in case they might after all listen, understand, and yield. But when, after persevering a long time, we could not shame them into following the sentences concerning the aforesaid man, we considered the canon of the church more honourable than friendship with men, and decreed exclusion from communion against them, giving them a full six months for this, for conversion, repentance, and a desire for union and agreement with the synod. If within the time given them they turn and choose concord with their brothers and agree to what has been defined concerning him, we have judged that they are to be received by the church and in the synods, and to recover their own freedom of speech and love toward us. But if they persist in their daring without repentance and prefer the friendship of men to the canons of the church and to agreement with us, then we consider them strangers to the episcopal dignity. When they undergo deposition, it is necessary that other bishops be appointed in their places, so that the lawful church, receiving its proper order, may agree with itself, the bishops everywhere keeping the bond of love by saying the same things, being united in the same mind and the same judgment. So that you may know what the synod decided, we have sent this to your Reverence; and we pray that you, keeping it, may by the grace of Christ govern the churches under you peacefully and lawfully.”
1 Cor 1:10 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theodoret quotes the letter of the synod of Constantinople (360) to George of Alexandria, reporting the deposition of the deacon Aetius and the six-month suspension of the bishops who refused to sign it.
- Document: synodal letter of the council of Constantinople (360) to George of Alexandria. The bracketed heading stands in the printed text and is translated in brackets; the OCR text of the heading is damaged (it opens a square bracket before Aetius's name).
- Theodoret's point is that the Acacian party condemned Aetius, their own ally, under imperial pressure.
- “Saying the same things, being united in the same mind and the same judgment”: 1 Cor 1:10.
Topics: Heresy, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.24 (GCS 19:162–165; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-24). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-24
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.25GCS 19:165–167
Τοῦτον Εὐνόμιος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἐξαίρει καὶ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζει καὶ παμπόλλαις εὐφημίαις γεραίρει. ἀλλὰ τότε καὶ τοῖς ἀποκηρύττουσι συνῆν καὶ παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπισκοπικὴν χειροτονίαν ἐδέξατο. οἱ δὲ περὶ Εὐδόξιον καὶ ᾿᾿κάκιον τοῖς ἐχτεθεῖσιν ἐν Δίκῃ τῆς Θράκης συνθέμενοι, ὧν ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν συγγραφεῖσι ἐμνήσθημεν, ἀντὶ τῶν περὶ Βασίλειον καὶ Ἐλεύσιον ἑτέρους ἐν ταῖς ἐκείνων ἐκκλησίαις ἐχειροτόνησαν. καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι μνησθῆναι, μόνα δὲ τὰ κατὰ Εὐνόμιον διηγήσομαι. βαπειδὴ γαρ ζῶντος Ελευσίου τὴν Κύξιχκον ἔλαβεν ὁ Εὐνόμιος καὶ τοῦ πληθοὺς τὴν υγείαν ορῶν ὁ Εύδοξιος καὶ τὸν βασιλέα θεώμενος χαλεπαίνοντα κατὰ τῶν χεχτίσθαι λεγόντων τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱόν, τῷ Εὐνομίῳ παρήνεσε καταχρύψαι τὸ φρόνημα καὶ μὴ δηλῶσαι τοῦτο τοῖς θηρωμένοις κατηγορίας προφάσεις. καιροῦ γάρε, ἔφη, τετυχηκότες κηρύξομεν ἃ νῦν κατακρύπτομεν καὶ τοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας διδάξομεν καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἢ πείσομεν ἢ καταναγκάσομεν ἢ κολάσομεν.ς ταύταις πειθόμενος ταῖς ὑποθήκαις Πὐνόμιος συνεσχιασμένην προὔφερε τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ἀλλ᾽ οἱ τοῖς θείοις ἐντραφέντες λογίοις, τῶν λεγομένων ὁρῶντες τὸ ὕπουλον, ἐδυσχέραινον ὃ μέν, ἀντιλέγειν δὲ προφανῶς θρασύτητος ἔργον, οὐκ ἀγχινοίας, ἐνόμιζον. τῆς οὖν αἱρετικῆς κακοδοξίας περιθέμενοι προσωπεῖα, οἴκοι προσελθόντες ἱκέτευον προφανῶς σφίσιν ἐκθέσθαι τοῦ δόγματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε ταῖς διαφόροις περιφερομένους διδασκαλίαις. ὁ δὲ θαρρήσας ἐξέφηνεν ὃ κατέχρυπτε φρόνημα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἄδικον ἔλεγον ἐκεῖνοι καὶ λίαν ἀνόσιον μὴ ἅπαντας τοὺς ὑπ᾽ αὖτὸν τελοῦντας τῆς ἀληθείας μεταλαχεῖν. ὃ δὲ τούτοις καὶ τοῖς τοι- ( οὕτοις ὑπαχθεὶς λόγοις ἐν τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας συλλόγοις τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐγύμνωσεν. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τῷ ζήλῳ τὰς ψυχὰς παραθήξαντες εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἔδραμον. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν παρ᾽ Πὐδοξίῳ 1ὅ ἐγράψαντο τὸν Εὐνόμιον" ἐχείνου δὲ μὴ προσδεξαμένου, τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθόντες τὴν παρ᾽ ἐχείνου γιγνομένην ἀπωδύροντο λώβην' τῆς Ἀρείου γὰρ ἔλεγον βλασφημίας δυσσεβέστερα εἶναι τὰ παρὰ τούτου λεγόμενα. θυμωθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀγαγεῖν τε τὸν Εὐνόμιον τῷ Εὐδοξίῳ προσέταξε καὶ διελεγχόμενον τῆς ἱερωσύνης γυμνῶσαι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ πολλάκις ὑπὸ τῶν κατηγόρων ὀχλούμενος ὃ Εὐδόξιος ἀναδυόμενος διετέλει, προσῆλθον αὖθις τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὀλοφυρόμενοι καὶ βοῶντες μηδὲν ὧν προσετάχθη τὸν Εὐδόξιον δεδρακέναι, ἀλλὰ πόλιν τοσαύτην σπθριορᾶν ταῖς Πὐνομίου βλασφημίαις ἐκδεδομένην. τότε Κωνστάντιος αὐτὸν ἐξελάσειν ἠπείλησε τὸν Πύδόξιον, εἰ μὴ τὸν Εὐνόμιον ἀγαγὼν δικάσοι καὶ ἐξελεγχόμενον ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἡτιάθη χκολάσοι.. ταύτην δείσας τὴν ἀπειλὴν ὁ Εὐδόξιος φυγεῖν ἐκ τῆς Κυζίκου τῷ Εὐνομίῳ διὰ γραμμάτων ἐδήλωσε καὶ ἑαυτῷ μέμφεσθαι μὴ πεισθέντι ταῖς ὑποθήκαις. ὁ δὲ Εὐνόμιος δείσας μὲν ὑπεχώρησε, τὴν δὲ ἀτιμίαν οὐκ ὃ ἐνεγκὼν προδοσίαν μὲν κατηγόρει τοῦ Εὐδοξίου, ἡδικῆσθαι δὲ καὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τὸν ᾿Δέτιον ἔλεγεν. Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν ἰδίαν φατρίαν συνεστήσατο. ὅσοι γὰρ δὴ συ" νίστορες ἦσαν τῆς ἐν τοῖς δόγμασιν αὐτῶν συμφωνίας Εὐδοξίου μὲν ἀπέστησαν, προδοσίαν κατεγνωκότες. Εὐνομίῳ δὲ συνετάχθησαν καὶ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι καὶ τήμερον ἔχουσιν. ἐντεῦθεν αἱρέσεως ἀρχηγὸς γενόμενος ὁ Πυνόμιος ταῖς τῆς ἀσεβείας προσθήχαὶς τὴν ᾿ἀρείου βλασφημίαν ἐπηύξησεν. ὅτι δὲ φιλοτιμίας πάθει δουλεύον ἴδιον συνεστήσατο σύλλογον, αὐτὰ τὰ πεπραγμένα βοᾷ. ἡνίκα μὲν γὰρ ᾿Μέτιος ἀποχηρυχθεὶς ἐξηλάθη. οὐ συνεξῆλθεν ἐκείνῳ, καίτοι διδάσκαλον αὐτὸν καὶ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζων, ἀλλὰ μεμέ"ηκὲν Εὐδοξίῳ συμπεφραγμένος" ἡνίκα δὲ αὐτὸς δίκας εἰσεπράχθη τῆς ἀσεβείας, οὐχ ἔστερξε τῆς συνόδου τὴν φῆφον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπισκόπους ἐχειροτόνει καὶ πρεσβυτέρους ὃ τῆς ἐπισκοπικῆς ἀξίας γεγυμνο) μένος. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν Κωνσταντιρουπόλει γεγένηται.
Touton Eunomios en tois logois exairei kai theou anthrōpon onomazei kai pampollais euphēmiais gerairei. alla tote kai tois apokēryttousi synēn kai par᾽ autōn tēn episkopikēn cheirotonian edexato. hoi de peri Eudoxion kai ᾿᾿kakion tois echtetheisin en Dikę̄ tēs Thrakēs synthemenoi, hōn en tois emprosthen syngrapheisi emnēsthēmen, anti tōn peri Basileion kai Eleusion heterous en tais ekeinōn ekklēsiais echeirotonēsan. kai tōn men allōn peritton hēgoumai mnēsthēnai, mona de ta kata Eunomion diēgēsomai. bapeidē gar zōntos Eleusiou tēn Kyxichkon elaben ho Eunomios kai tou plēthous tēn ygeian orōn ho Eudoxios kai ton basilea theōmenos chalepainonta kata tōn chechtisthai legontōn ton monogenē tou theou huion, tǭ Eunomiǭ parēnese katachrypsai to phronēma kai mē dēlōsai touto tois thērōmenois katēgorias prophaseis. kairou gare, ephē, tetychēkotes kēryxomen ha nyn katakryptomen kai tous agnoountas didaxomen kai tous antilegontas ē peisomen ē katanankasomen ē kolasomen.s tautais peithomenos tais hypothēkais Pynomios syneschiasmenēn prouphere tēn asebeian. all᾽ hoi tois theiois entraphentes logiois, tōn legomenōn horōntes to hypoulon, edyscherainon ho men, antilegein de prophanōs thrasytētos ergon, ouk anchinoias, enomizon. tēs oun hairetikēs kakodoxias perithemenoi prosōpeia, oikoi proselthontes hiketeuon prophanōs sphisin ekthesthai tou dogmatos tēn alētheian kai mē periidein tę̄de kakeise tais diaphorois peripheromenous didaskaliais. ho de tharrēsas exephēnen ho katechrypte phronēma. alla gar adikon elegon ekeinoi kai lian anosion mē hapantas tous hyp᾽ auton telountas tēs alētheias metalachein. ho de toutois kai tois toi- ( houtois hypachtheis logois en tois tēs ekklēsias syllogois tēn blasphēmian egymnōsen. ekeinoi de tǭ zēlǭ tas psychas parathēxantes eis tēn Kōnstantinoupolin edramon. kai prōton men par᾽ Pydoxiǭ 1ho egrapsanto ton Eunomion" echeinou de mē prosdexamenou, tǭ basilei proselthontes tēn par᾽ echeinou gignomenēn apōdyronto lōbēn' tēs Areiou gar elegon blasphēmias dyssebestera einai ta para toutou legomena. thymōtheis de epi toutois ho basileus agagein te ton Eunomion tǭ Eudoxiǭ prosetaxe kai dielenchomenon tēs hierōsynēs gymnōsai. epeidē de pollakis hypo tōn katēgorōn ochloumenos ho Eudoxios anadyomenos dietelei, prosēlthon authis tǭ basilei, olophyromenoi kai boōntes mēden hōn prosetachthē ton Eudoxion dedrakenai, alla polin tosautēn spthrioran tais Pynomiou blasphēmiais ekdedomenēn. tote Kōnstantios auton exelasein ēpeilēse ton Pydoxion, ei mē ton Eunomion agagōn dikasoi kai exelenchomenon eph᾽ hois hētiathē chkolasoi.. tautēn deisas tēn apeilēn ho Eudoxios phygein ek tēs Kyzikou tǭ Eunomiǭ dia grammatōn edēlōse kai heautǭ memphesthai mē peisthenti tais hypothēkais. ho de Eunomios deisas men hypechōrēse, tēn de atimian ouk ho enenkōn prodosian men katēgorei tou Eudoxiou, hēdikēsthai de kai heauton kai ton ᾿Detion elegen. Enteuthen loipon idian phatrian synestēsato. hosoi gar dē sy" nistores ēsan tēs en tois dogmasin autōn symphōnias Eudoxiou men apestēsan, prodosian kategnōkotes. Eunomiǭ de synetachthēsan kai tēn epōnymian ex ekeinou mechri kai tēmeron echousin. enteuthen haireseōs archēgos genomenos ho Pynomios tais tēs asebeias prosthēchais tēn ᾿areiou blasphēmian epēuxēsen. hoti de philotimias pathei douleuon idion synestēsato syllogon, auta ta pepragmena boą. hēnika men gar ᾿Metios apochērychtheis exēlathē. ou synexēlthen ekeinǭ, kaitoi didaskalon auton kai theou anthrōpon onomazōn, alla meme"ēken Eudoxiǭ sympephragmenos" hēnika de autos dikas eiseprachthē tēs asebeias, ouch esterxe tēs synodou tēn phēphon, all᾽ episkopous echeirotonei kai presbyterous ho tēs episkopikēs axias gegymno) menos. tauta men oun en Kōnstantiroupolei gegenētai.
Eunomius extols this man in his writings, calls him a man of God, and honours him with many praises. But at that time he sided with those who repudiated him and received episcopal ordination from them. Eudoxius, Acacius, and their party, having agreed to the statement set forth at Nike in Thrace, which we mentioned in what was written earlier, ordained others in the churches of Basil, Eleusius, and their party in their place. I think it superfluous to mention the others; I shall relate only the story of Eunomius.
When Eunomius took Cyzicus while Eleusius was still living, Eudoxius, seeing the soundness of the people and seeing the emperor angry against those who said that the only-begotten Son of God was created, advised Eunomius to hide his opinion and not to reveal it to those who were hunting for pretexts for accusation. “When we have found the right moment,” he said, “we shall proclaim what we now hide, teach the ignorant, and either persuade, compel, or punish those who contradict us.” Persuaded by this advice, Eunomius presented his impiety in a veiled form. But those nourished on the divine oracles, seeing the treachery of what was said, were vexed, but thought that to contradict openly would be the act of rashness, not of intelligence. So, putting on the masks of heretical opinion, they came to him at his home and begged him to set out the truth of the doctrine plainly to them, and not to let them be carried about this way and that by various teachings. Emboldened, he revealed the opinion he had been hiding. But they said it was unjust and very unholy that all who were under him should not share in the truth. Led on by these and similar words, he laid bare his blasphemy in the assemblies of the church.
They, their souls sharpened by zeal, hurried to Constantinople. First they charged Eunomius before Eudoxius; when he did not receive the charge, they went to the emperor and lamented the harm being done by him; for they said that what he said was more impious than the blasphemy of Arius. The emperor, angered by this, ordered Eudoxius to bring Eunomius and, if he were convicted, to strip him of the priesthood. When Eudoxius, though often pressed by the accusers, kept putting it off, they again went to the emperor, lamenting and crying out that Eudoxius had done nothing of what he had been ordered, but was looking on while so great a city was given over to the blasphemies of Eunomius. Then Constantius threatened to drive out Eudoxius himself, unless he brought Eunomius, tried him, and punished him if he were convicted of what he was charged with. Fearing this threat, Eudoxius informed Eunomius by letter to flee from Cyzicus, and told him to blame himself for not having followed his advice. Eunomius withdrew in fear, but, unable to bear the disgrace, accused Eudoxius of betrayal and said that both he himself and Aetius had been wronged.
From then on he formed a faction of his own. For all who knew of their agreement in doctrine withdrew from Eudoxius, condemning him for betrayal, and joined Eunomius, and they have their name from him to this day. Having thus become the leader of a heresy, Eunomius increased the blasphemy of Arius by additions of impiety. That he formed his own assembly as a slave to the passion of ambition, the facts themselves cry out. For when Aetius was repudiated and driven out, he did not go out with him, although he called him his teacher and a man of God, but remained, fenced in with Eudoxius; but when he himself was made to pay the penalty for his impiety, he did not accept the synod's sentence, but, though stripped of the episcopal dignity, ordained bishops and presbyters. This happened at Constantinople.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eunomius, made bishop of Cyzicus, at first hides his views on Eudoxius's advice, but reveals them when orthodox members of his flock feign agreement; they denounce him to Constantius, Eudoxius warns him to flee, and Eunomius breaks with Eudoxius and founds his own sect.
- Eunomius's praise of Aetius as a “man of God” refers to his writings, now lost except in fragments.
- Eudoxius's words (“we shall ... compel, or punish”) are reported by Theodoret; translated as written.
Topics: Heresy, Church office, Christology
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.25 (GCS 19:165–167; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-25). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-25
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.26GCS 19:167–170
Σαβώρου δὲ τοῦ Περσῶν βασιλέως κατὰ Ῥωμαίων στρατεύσαντος, ἀφίκετο εἰς τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν ὁ Κωνστάντιος, ἀγείρας τὴν στρατιάν. ἐξήλασε δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους οὐχ ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατὸς ἀλλ᾽ ὃ τῶν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις εὐσεβούντων θεός. τὸν δὲ τῆς νίκης τρόπον ἐγὼ διηγήσομαι. Νίσιβις, ἢ Ἀντιόχειαν Μυγδονίαν τινὲς ὀνομάξουσιν, ἐν μεθορίῳ κεῖται τῆς Περσῶν καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας. ταύτης ἐπίσκοπος ἣν καὶ πολιοῦχος καὶ στρατηγὸς Ἰάκωβος, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην, τῆς δὲ ἀποστολικῆς χάριτος τὰς ἀχτίνας οὗτος ἠφίει. τούτου τὰς ἀξιαγάστους καὶ πολυυμνήτους θαυματουργίας ἐν τῇ Φιλοθέῳ “Ιστορίᾳ συγγράψας, περιττὸν οἶμαι καὶ παρέλκον αὖθις ταύτας ἀπαριθμήσασθαι' μίαν δὲ μόνην ἐρῶ, τοῦ προκειμένου ἕγεχα διηγήματος. τὴν ὑπὸ τούτου κυβερνωμένην πόλιν Ῥωμαίοις ὑποκειμένην ὁ Περσικὸς ἐπολιόρκει στρατός. ἑβδομήκοντα δὲ προσεδρεύσας ἡμέρας, καὶ πολλὰς μὲν ἑλεπόλεις τῷ τείχει προσενεγκών, πολλὰ δὲ ἕτερα μηχανήματα περιστήσας, καὶ χαραχώματα καὶ τάφρους ὀρύξας, ἑλεῖν τὴν πόλιν οὐχ ἴσχυσεν. ὕστερον δὲ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ δεῖθρον ὃς μέσην διατέμνει τὴν πόλιν (λΙυγδόνιος δὲ ὀνομα τούτῳ) πόρρωθεν ἐπισχών, καὶ τὰς ὄχθας ἑκατέρωθεν προσχώσας καὶ ὑψηλὰς ἐργασάμενος ἵνα τὸ δεῦμα συνέχωσιν, ὡς εἶδε πάμπολυ γενόμενον καὶ λοιπὸν ὑπερκλύξον. τὸ χῶμα, ἐξαπινέως ἀφῆκε κατὰ τοῦ τείχους ὡς μηχανήν. τὸ δὲ οὐχ ἤνεγκε σφοδροτάτην οὖσαν τὴν προσβολήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκλίθη τε καὶ κατέπεσε. ταὐτὸ δὲ πάθος καὶ τὸ ἕτερον τοῦ περιβόλου μέρος ὑπέμεινε, δι’ οὗ τὴν ἔξοδον ὃ Μυγδόνιος εἶχε: κατηνέχθη γὰρ τὴν δύμην οὐχ ἐνεγκόν. ταῦτα Σαβώρης ἰδὼν ἤλπισεν ἀκχμητὶ λοιπὸν τοῦ ἄστεος περιέσεσθαι. καὶ τὴν μὲν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἡσύχασεν, ὥστε καὶ τὸ τέλμα διαυανθῆναι καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν γενέσθαι βατόν. πα:στρατιᾷ δὲ προσβαλὼν τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ καὶ προσδοκῶν διὰ τῶν καταπεπτωχότων τοῦ τείχους εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσεέναι μερῶν, ὁρῷ τὸ τεῖχος ἑκατέρωθεν φκοδομημένον καὶ μάταιον αὐτῷ τὸν πόνον γεγενημένον. ὁ γὰρ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνήρ, διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας δυνάμεως ἐμπλήσας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους οἰκήτορας. τόν τε περίβολον φκοδόμησε καὶ τὰ μηχανήματα ἐπιστήσας τοὺς προσιόντας ἐξήλασε" καὶ ταῦτα ἔδρα οὐ τῷ τείχει πελάζων, ἀλλ᾽ ἔνδον ἐν τῷ θείῳ νεῷ τὸν κύριον τῶν ὅλων ἀντιβολῶν. τὸν δὲ Σαβώρην οὐ μόνον τῆς οἶχοδομίας τὸ τάχος κατέπληξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρα ὄψις ἐξεδειμάτωσεν. εἶδε γὰρ ἐφεστῶτα τῷ περιβόλῳ τινὰ τὸ βασιλικὸν περιχείμεγον σχῆμα καὶ τῆς τε ἁλονργίδος τοῦ τε διαδήματος αἴγλην ἐκπεμπομένην. τοπάσας δὲ εἶναι τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὸν βασιλέα, θάνατον ἠπείλησε τοῖς μὴ παρεῖναι τοῦτον ἀπηγγελχόσιν. ἰσχεριζομένων δὲ ἐκείνων ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὰ παρ᾽ αὐτῶν εἰρημένα καὶ τὸν Κωνστάντιον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διάγειν εἰρηκότων, ἐπέγνω τῆς ὄψεως τὰ μηνύματα καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἔφη τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπερμαχεῖν. καὶ δυσχεράνας ὁ δείλαιος βέλος ἀφῆκεν εἰς τὸν ἀέρα. εἰδὼς μὲν ὡς οὐ βαλεῖ τὸν ἀσώματον, τῆς δὲ μανίας τὴν δύμην οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Τότε Ἐφραὶμ ὁ θαυμάσιος (συγγραφεὺς δὲ οὗτος ἄριστος παρὰ Σύροις ἐγένετο) τὸν θεῖον ᾿άκωβον ἠντιβόλησεν ἐπιβῆναι τοῦ τείχους καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἰδεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀρᾶς κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀφιέναι τὰ βέλη. εἴξας δὴ οὖν ὁ θεσπέσιος ἄνθρωπος ἀνέβη μὲν εἴς τινα πύργον" τὸ δὲ μυρίον πλῆθος ἰδών, ἄλλην μὲν οὐχ ἀφῆκεν ἀράν, σκνίπας δὲ αὖὐτοῖς ἐξήτησεν ἐπιπεμφθῆναι καὶ κώνωπας, ὥστε καὶ διὰ τῶν μικρῶν ζωὐφίων τοῦ σφίσιν ἐπαρκοῦντος ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν δύναμιν. εἵπετο δὲ τῇ εὐχῇ τῶν σχνιπῶν καὶ τῶν κωνώπων τὰ νέφη, καὶ τῶν μὲν ἔλεφάντων τὰς προνομαίας αὐλοειδεῖς πεφυκυίας ἐπλήρου, τῶν δὲ ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κτηνῶν τά τε ὦτα καὶ τὰς ὁῖνας. οἱ δὲ φέρειν οὐ δυνάμενοι τῶν ζωὐφίων τὴν προσβολὴν τούς τε ῥυτῆρας ἀπέρρῆξαν καὶ τοὺς ἐποχουμένους κατήνεγκαν, καὶ τήν τε τάξιν συνέχεαν τό τε στρατόπεδον καταλιπόντες ἔφυγον κατὰ κράτος. οὕτως ὁ τρισἄθλιος βασιλεύς, τῇ σμικρᾷ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ παιδείᾳ τοῦ τῶν εὐσεβούντων προμηθουμένου θεοῦ μεμαθηκὼς τὴν ἰσχύν, ἀνέζευξεν ἐκεῖθεν, αἰσχύνην οὐ νίκην ἐκ τῆς πολιορκίας δρεψάμενος.
Sabōrou de tou Persōn basileōs kata Rhōmaiōn strateusantos, aphiketo eis tēn Antiocheian ho Kōnstantios, ageiras tēn stratian. exēlase de tous polemious ouch ho tōn Rhōmaiōn stratos all᾽ ho tōn para Rhōmaiois eusebountōn theos. ton de tēs nikēs tropon egō diēgēsomai. Nisibis, ē Antiocheian Mygdonian tines onomaxousin, en methoriǭ keitai tēs Persōn kai Rhōmaiōn hēgemonias. tautēs episkopos hēn kai poliouchos kai stratēgos Iakōbos, hou kai prosthen emnēsthēn, tēs de apostolikēs charitos tas achtinas houtos ēphiei. toutou tas axiagastous kai polyymnētous thaumatourgias en tę̄ Philotheǭ “Istorią syngrapsas, peritton oimai kai parelkon authis tautas aparithmēsasthai' mian de monēn erō, tou prokeimenou hegecha diēgēmatos. tēn hypo toutou kybernōmenēn polin Rhōmaiois hypokeimenēn ho Persikos epoliorkei stratos. hebdomēkonta de prosedreusas hēmeras, kai pollas men helepoleis tǭ teichei prosenenkōn, polla de hetera mēchanēmata peristēsas, kai charachōmata kai taphrous oryxas, helein tēn polin ouch ischysen. hysteron de tou potamou to deithron hos mesēn diatemnei tēn polin (lIygdonios de onoma toutǭ) porrōthen epischōn, kai tas ochthas hekaterōthen proschōsas kai hypsēlas ergasamenos hina to deuma synechōsin, hōs eide pampoly genomenon kai loipon hyperklyxon. to chōma, exapineōs aphēke kata tou teichous hōs mēchanēn. to de ouch ēnenke sphodrotatēn ousan tēn prosbolēn, all᾽ eklithē te kai katepese. tauto de pathos kai to heteron tou peribolou meros hypemeine, di’ hou tēn exodon ho Mygdonios eiche: katēnechthē gar tēn dymēn ouch enenkon. tauta Sabōrēs idōn ēlpisen akchmēti loipon tou asteos periesesthai. kai tēn men hēmeran ekeinēn hēsychasen, hōste kai to telma diauanthēnai kai ton potamon genesthai baton. pa:stratią de prosbalōn tę̄ hysteraią kai prosdokōn dia tōn katapeptōchotōn tou teichous eis tēn polin eiseenai merōn, horǭ to teichos hekaterōthen phkodomēmenon kai mataion autǭ ton ponon gegenēmenon. ho gar theios ekeinos anēr, dia proseuchēs kai tous stratiōtas dynameōs emplēsas kai tous allous oikētoras. ton te peribolon phkodomēse kai ta mēchanēmata epistēsas tous prosiontas exēlase" kai tauta edra ou tǭ teichei pelazōn, all᾽ endon en tǭ theiǭ neǭ ton kyrion tōn holōn antibolōn. ton de Sabōrēn ou monon tēs oichodomias to tachos kateplēxen, alla kai hetera opsis exedeimatōsen. eide gar ephestōta tǭ peribolǭ tina to basilikon pericheimegon schēma kai tēs te halonrgidos tou te diadēmatos aiglēn ekpempomenēn. topasas de einai tōn Rhōmaiōn ton basilea, thanaton ēpeilēse tois mē pareinai touton apēngelchosin. ischerizomenōn de ekeinōn alēthē einai ta par᾽ autōn eirēmena kai ton Kōnstantion en Antiocheią diagein eirēkotōn, epegnō tēs opseōs ta mēnymata kai ton theon ephē tōn Rhōmaiōn hypermachein. kai dyscheranas ho deilaios belos aphēken eis ton aera. eidōs men hōs ou balei ton asōmaton, tēs de manias tēn dymēn ouk enenkōn. Tote Ephraim ho thaumasios (syngrapheus de houtos aristos para Syrois egeneto) ton theion ᾿akōbon ēntibolēsen epibēnai tou teichous kai tous barbarous idein kai tēs aras kat᾽ autōn aphienai ta belē. eixas dē oun ho thespesios anthrōpos anebē men eis tina pyrgon" to de myrion plēthos idōn, allēn men ouch aphēken aran, sknipas de auytois exētēsen epipemphthēnai kai kōnōpas, hōste kai dia tōn mikrōn zōyphiōn tou sphisin eparkountos epignōnai tēn dynamin. heipeto de tę̄ euchę̄ tōn schnipōn kai tōn kōnōpōn ta nephē, kai tōn men elephantōn tas pronomaias auloeideis pephykuias eplērou, tōn de hippōn kai tōn allōn ktēnōn ta te ōta kai tas hoinas. hoi de pherein ou dynamenoi tōn zōyphiōn tēn prosbolēn tous te rhytēras aperrēxan kai tous epochoumenous katēnenkan, kai tēn te taxin synechean to te stratopedon katalipontes ephygon kata kratos. houtōs ho trisathlios basileus, tę̄ smikrą kai philanthrōpǭ paideią tou tōn eusebountōn promēthoumenou theou memathēkōs tēn ischyn, anezeuxen ekeithen, aischynēn ou nikēn ek tēs poliorkias drepsamenos.
When Shapur, king of the Persians, made war on the Romans, Constantius gathered his army and came to Antioch. It was not the army of the Romans that drove out the enemy, but the God of those among the Romans who were pious. I shall relate the manner of the victory.
Nisibis, which some call Antioch in Mygdonia, lies on the border between the empire of the Persians and that of the Romans. Its bishop, protector, and general was James, whom I mentioned before; he sent forth the rays of apostolic grace. Since I have written his admirable and celebrated wonders in the Religious History, I think it superfluous and redundant to recount them again; I shall tell only one, for the sake of the present narrative. The Persian army besieged the city he governed, which was subject to the Romans. It sat before it for seventy days, brought many siege engines against the wall, set up many other devices, and dug ramparts and trenches, but could not take the city. Later, having dammed far upstream the current of the river that cuts through the middle of the city (its name is Mygdonius), and having raised the banks on either side and made them high so as to hold in the stream, when he saw that a great mass of water had collected and was now overflowing the embankment, he suddenly let it loose against the wall like a siege engine. The wall could not bear the very violent onset, but leaned over and fell. The other part of the circuit, through which the Mygdonius flowed out, suffered the same; for it could not bear the force and was thrown down. Seeing this, Shapur hoped that he would now take the city without effort. That day he rested, so that the mud might dry and the river become passable. Attacking the next day with his whole army and expecting to enter the city through the fallen parts of the wall, he saw the wall rebuilt on both sides and his labour made vain. For that divine man, by prayer filling with strength both the soldiers and the other inhabitants, had rebuilt the circuit, set up the engines, and driven off the attackers; and he did this not by going near the wall but by beseeching the Lord of the universe inside the divine church.
Not only did the speed of the building amaze Shapur, but another sight terrified him. For he saw standing on the wall someone wearing the imperial dress, sending out the gleam of purple and diadem. Supposing that it was the emperor of the Romans, he threatened with death those who had reported that he was not there. When they insisted that what they had said was true and said that Constantius was staying in Antioch, he recognized the meaning of the vision and said that God was fighting for the Romans. The wretch, vexed, shot an arrow into the air, knowing that he would not hit the bodiless one, but unable to restrain the force of his madness.
Then the admirable Ephrem (he became the best writer among the Syrians) begged the divine James to go up on the wall, look at the barbarians, and let fly against them the arrows of a curse. The godly man yielded and went up into a tower; but seeing the countless multitude, he uttered no other curse, but asked that gnats and mosquitoes be sent upon them, so that through the small creatures they might recognize the power of the one who protected the city. Clouds of gnats and mosquitoes followed the prayer; they filled the trunks of the elephants, which are hollow like pipes, and the ears and nostrils of the horses and the other beasts. Unable to bear the attack of the little creatures, they broke their reins, threw their riders, threw the ranks into confusion, abandoned the camp, and fled headlong. So the thrice-wretched king, having learned the power of the God who cares for the pious through a small and kindly chastisement, withdrew from there, having reaped from the siege shame, not victory.
Exod 8:16–17 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: During a Persian siege of Nisibis, Shapur breaches the walls by unleashing a dammed river, but Bishop James by prayer has them rebuilt overnight; a vision of an emperor on the walls dismays Shapur, and at Ephrem's urging James calls down swarms of gnats that rout the Persian elephants and horses.
- The siege is that of 350. James of Nisibis is thought to have died about 338; Theodoret's placing of him at this siege is his own and is translated as written.
- Ephrem the Syrian is not otherwise mentioned in this section of the history.
- The swarms recall the plagues of Egypt (Exod 8:16–24).
Topics: Prayer
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.26 (GCS 19:167–170; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-26). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-26
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.27GCS 19:170–173
Κατὰ τοῦτον δὲ τὸν χρόνον ὁ Κωνστάντιος ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ διέτριβε. τῆς δὲ ἀνακωχῆς γενομένης καὶ τοῦ Περσικοῦ παυσαμένου πολέμου, πάλιν ἐπισκόπους συνήθροισεν, ἀρνηθῆναι πάντας καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον ἀναγκάζων καὶ τὸ ἑτεροούσιον. Εὐδοξίου δὲ μετὰ “εόντιον ἐκεῖνον τὸν θρόνον ἁρπάσαντος, εἶτα ἐξελαθέντος καὶ μετὰ πολλὰς συνόδους τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν παρανόμως κατεσχηκχότος, ἡ Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλησία ποιμένος ἐστέρητο. τότε δὴ οὖν οἱ συνεληλυθότὲς ἐπίσκοποι (πολλοὶ δὲ ἦσαν πάντοθεν συνειλεγμένοι) χρῆναι ἔλεγον προβληθῆναι πρότερον τῇ ποίμνῃ νομέα, εἶθ᾽ οὕτω κοινῇ σὺν ἐκείνῳ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων βουλεύσασθαι. Κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν Μελέτιος ὁ θεσπέσιος πόλιν τινὰ τῆς Ἀρμενίας ἰθύνων, εἶτα τῶν ἀρχομένων τὸ δυσήνιον δυσχεράνας. ἡσυχίαν ἦγεν ἑτέρωθι διατρίβων. τοῦτον ὑποτοπήσαντες οἱ τῆς Ἀρείου συμμορίας ὁμόφρονα εἶναι καὶ κοινωνὸν τῶν δογμάτων, ἐξῃτησαν τὸν Κωνστάντιον τούτῳ τῆς Ἀντιοχέων ἐκκλ ἡσίας παραδοῦναι τὰς ἡνίας. πάντα γὰρ νόμον παρέβαινον ἀδεῶς. “ρατῦναι πειρώμενοι τὴν ἀσέβειαν, καὶ τῶν θεσμῶν ἡ παράβασις ὑποβάθρα τῆξ βλάσιρης μίας ἐγίνετο. πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα πολλαχοῦ γῆς ἐνεύχμωσαν. οἱ δὲ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀντεχόμενοι δογμάτων, τοῦ μεγάλου διελετίου καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασιν ὑγείαν εἰδότες καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τὴν τοῦ βίου λαμπρότητα καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν πλοῦτον σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενοι, συνεφηφίσαντο καὶ τὸ ψήφισμα γραφῆναι καὶ παρὰ πάντων ὑπογραφῆναι μετὰ πλείστης ὅτι μάλιστα σποιδῆς παρεσκεύασαν. τοῦτο δέ γε καὶ οὗτοι κἀκεῖνοι οἷόν τινὰ συνθήκην κοινὴν Εὐσεβίῳ τῷ Σαμοσάτων ἐπισχύπῳ φυλάττειν ἔδοσαν, ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγωνιστῇ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ βασιλικὴν δεξάμενος κλῆσιν ἧκεν ὃ μέγας Μελέτιος, ὑπήντησαν πὲν ἅπαντες οἱ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης μετειληχότες. ὑπήντησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι τῆς ἐκκλησίας χοροὶ καὶ ἅπαν τὸ τῆς πόλεως πλῆθος παρῆσαν δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ Ἕλληνες, τὸν πολυθούλητον ἰδεῖν Μελέτιον ἱμειρόμενοι. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις οἱ λέγειν ἠδύναντο τὸ κύριος ἔκτισέ μὲ ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦς παρὴγγίησεν ἀναπτύξαι τῷ πλήθει τοὺς δὲ γράφειν εἰς τάχος πεπαιδευμένους γράψαι προσέταξε τὰ παρ᾽ ἑκάστου λεγόμενα, ἀκριβεστέραν ἔσεσθαι τὴν διδασκαλίαν ὑπολαβών. καὶ πρῶτος μὲν ὁ “αοδικείας Τεώργιος τὴν αἱρετικὴν ἐξήμεσε δυσοσμίαν" μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ᾿Δκάκιος ὁ Καισαρείας μέσην τινὰ διδασκαλίαν προσήνεγκε, πλεῖστον μὲν ὅσον τῆς ἐκείνων βλασφημίας ἀφεστηκυῖαν, οὐκ ἀκραιφνῆ ὁὲ καὶ ἀκέραιον τὸν ἀποστολικὸν χαρακτῆρα φυλάττουσαν' τρίτος ὁ μέγας ἀνέστη Μελέτιος καὶ τοῦ τῆς θεολογίας κανόνος ὑπέδειξε τὴν εὐθύτητα. οἷον γάρ τινι στάθμῃ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ χρησάμενος, καὶ τὸ περιττὸν καὶ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον διέφυγεν. εὐφημίας δὲ πλείστης παρὰ τοῦ πλήθους προσφερομένης καὶ σύντομον αὐτοῖς προσενεγκεῖν ἀντιβολούντων διδασκαλίαν, τρεῖς ὑποδείξας δακτύλους, εἶτα τοὺς δύο συναγαγὼν καὶ τὸν ἕνα καταλιπών, τὴν ἀξιέπαινον ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν" τρία τὰ νοούμενα, οἧς Κατὰ ταύτης τῆς διδασκαλίας οἱ τὴν ᾿Δἀρείου νόσον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ φέροντες τὰς γλώττας ἐκίνησαν καὶ συκοφαντίαν ἐξύφηναν, τὰ Σαβελλίου φροΡεῖν τὸν θεῖον εἰρηκότες Διελέτιον" καὶ ἔπεισᾶν γε τὸν εὑριπον ἐκεῖνον καὶ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε ῥαδίως φερόμενον καὶ παρεσκεύασαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐξοστρακίσαι πατρίδα. καὶ παραυτίκα Εὐζώϊον ἀντ᾽ ἐχείνου προὐβάλοντο, “προφανῆ τῶν Ἀρείου δογμάτων συνήγορον" σὺν ᾿Δρείφ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτον διακονίας ἠξιωμένον ὁ μέγας ᾿᾿λέξανδρος ἀπεκήρυξεν. εὐθὺς δὴ οὖν τὸ ὑγιαῖνον πλῆθος τῶν τὴν νόσον εἰσδεδεγμένων ἀποχριθὲν εἰς τὴν ἀποστολικὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὴν ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ Παλαιᾷ διακειμένην ἠθροίζετο. τριάκοντα μὲν γὰρ ἔτη μετά γε τὰς κατ᾽ Ἐὐσταθίου τοῦ πανευφήμου γεγενημένας ἐπιβουλὰς διετέλεσαν τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς ἀνεχόμενοι βδελυρίας καὶ χρηστήν τινά μεταῥυλὴν προσδεχόμενοι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶδον τὴν ἀσέβειαν παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ξανομένην. καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀντεχομένους δογμάτων καὶ προφανῶς πολεμουμένους καὶ κρύβδην ἐπιβουλευομένους, κ χεὶ τὸν μὲν θεῖον ἐξελαθέντα ΔΜελέτιον, Εὐζώϊον δὲ τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως προστάτην ἀντ᾽ ἐκείνου τὴν προεδρίαν δεξάμενον, τῶν πρὸς τὸν Πὼτ ἄνε ἐμνήσθησαν εἰρημένων σώζων σῶζε τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν πρὸς ὁὀὲ δὴ τούτοις καὶ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν νόμων οἱ σαφῶς δια ορεῦς οὔσιν νεἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζει σε. ἔκκοψον αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦε. ταὐτὰ δὲ καὶ περὶ χειρὸς καὶ ποδὸς ὁ δεσπότης ἐνομοθέτησε καὶ προστέθεικε" "συμφέρει γάρ ὅοι ἵνα ἀπόληται ἕν τῶν μελῶν σου, καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου βληθῇ εἰς γέεννανε. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐκκλησίας διαίρεσις τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐγένετο.
Kata touton de ton chronon ho Kōnstantios en Antiocheią dietribe. tēs de anakōchēs genomenēs kai tou Persikou pausamenou polemou, palin episkopous synēthroisen, arnēthēnai pantas kai to homoousion anankazōn kai to heteroousion. Eudoxiou de meta “eontion ekeinon ton thronon harpasantos, eita exelathentos kai meta pollas synodous tēn Kōnstantinoupolin paranomōs kateschēkchotos, hē Antiocheōn ekklēsia poimenos esterēto. tote dē oun hoi synelēlythotes episkopoi (polloi de ēsan pantothen syneilegmenoi) chrēnai elegon problēthēnai proteron tę̄ poimnę̄ nomea, eith᾽ houtō koinę̄ syn ekeinǭ peri tōn dogmatōn bouleusasthai. Kat᾽ ekeinon de ton kairon Meletios ho thespesios polin tina tēs Armenias ithynōn, eita tōn archomenōn to dysēnion dyscheranas. hēsychian ēgen heterōthi diatribōn. touton hypotopēsantes hoi tēs Areiou symmorias homophrona einai kai koinōnon tōn dogmatōn, exę̄tēsan ton Kōnstantion toutǭ tēs Antiocheōn ekkl hēsias paradounai tas hēnias. panta gar nomon parebainon adeōs. “ratynai peirōmenoi tēn asebeian, kai tōn thesmōn hē parabasis hypobathra tēx blasirēs mias egineto. polla de toiauta pollachou gēs eneuchmōsan. hoi de tōn apostolikōn antechomenoi dogmatōn, tou megalou dieletiou kai tēn en tois dogmasin hygeian eidotes kai men dē kai tēn tou biou lamprotēta kai tēs aretēs ton plouton saphōs epistamenoi, synephēphisanto kai to psēphisma graphēnai kai para pantōn hypographēnai meta pleistēs hoti malista spoidēs pareskeuasan. touto de ge kai houtoi kakeinoi hoion tina synthēkēn koinēn Eusebiǭ tǭ Samosatōn epischypǭ phylattein edosan, andri gennaiǭ tēs alētheias agōnistę̄. epeidē de basilikēn dexamenos klēsin hēken ho megas Meletios, hypēntēsan pen hapantes hoi tēs archierōsynēs meteilēchotes. hypēntēsan de kai hoi alloi tēs ekklēsias choroi kai hapan to tēs poleōs plēthos parēsan de kai Ioudaioi kai Hellēnes, ton polythoulēton idein Meletion himeiromenoi. Ho de basileus kai autǭ kai tois allois hoi legein ēdynanto to kyrios ektise me archēn hodōn autou eis erga autous parēngiēsen anaptyxai tǭ plēthei tous de graphein eis tachos pepaideumenous grapsai prosetaxe ta par᾽ hekastou legomena, akribesteran esesthai tēn didaskalian hypolabōn. kai prōtos men ho “aodikeias Teōrgios tēn hairetikēn exēmese dysosmian" meta de touton ᾿Dkakios ho Kaisareias mesēn tina didaskalian prosēnenke, pleiston men hoson tēs ekeinōn blasphēmias aphestēkuian, ouk akraiphnē hoe kai akeraion ton apostolikon charaktēra phylattousan' tritos ho megas anestē Meletios kai tou tēs theologias kanonos hypedeixe tēn euthytēta. hoion gar tini stathmę̄ tę̄ alētheią chrēsamenos, kai to peritton kai to elleipon diephygen. euphēmias de pleistēs para tou plēthous prospheromenēs kai syntomon autois prosenenkein antibolountōn didaskalian, treis hypodeixas daktylous, eita tous dyo synagagōn kai ton hena katalipōn, tēn axiepainon ekeinēn aphēke phōnēn" tria ta nooumena, hoēs Kata tautēs tēs didaskalias hoi tēn ᾿Dareiou noson en tę̄ psychę̄ pherontes tas glōttas ekinēsan kai sykophantian exyphēnan, ta Sabelliou phroRein ton theion eirēkotes Dieletion" kai epeisan ge ton heuripon ekeinon kai tę̄de kakeise rhadiōs pheromenon kai pareskeuasan eis tēn oikeian exostrakisai patrida. kai parautika Euzōïon ant᾽ echeinou proubalonto, “prophanē tōn Areiou dogmatōn synēgoron" syn ᾿Dreiph gar kai touton diakonias ēxiōmenon ho megas ᾿᾿lexandros apekēryxen. euthys dē oun to hygiainon plēthos tōn tēn noson eisdedegmenōn apochrithen eis tēn apostolikēn ekklēsian tēn en tę̄ kaloumenę̄ Palaią diakeimenēn ēthroizeto. triakonta men gar etē meta ge tas kat᾽ Eustathiou tou paneuphēmou gegenēmenas epiboulas dietelesan tēs Areianikēs anechomenoi bdelyrias kai chrēstēn tina metarhylēn prosdechomenoi. epeidē de eidon tēn asebeian par᾽ autois xanomenēn. kai tous men tōn apostolikōn antechomenous dogmatōn kai prophanōs polemoumenous kai krybdēn epibouleuomenous, k chei ton men theion exelathenta DMeletion, Euzōïon de ton tēs haireseōs prostatēn ant᾽ ekeinou tēn proedrian dexamenon, tōn pros ton Pōt ane emnēsthēsan eirēmenōn sōzōn sōze tēn seautou psychēn pros hooe dē toutois kai tōn euangelikōn nomōn hoi saphōs dia oreus ousin nei ho ophthalmos sou ho dexios skandalizei se. ekkopson auton kai bale apo soue. tauta de kai peri cheiros kai podos ho despotēs enomothetēse kai prostetheike" "sympherei gar hooi hina apolētai hen tōn melōn sou, kai mē holon to sōma sou blēthę̄ eis geennane. hē men oun tēs ekklēsias diairesis touton ton tropon egeneto.
At this time Constantius was staying in Antioch. When a truce had been made and the Persian war had ended, he again assembled bishops, compelling all to renounce both “of the same essence” and “of another essence.” Since Eudoxius, having seized the throne after that Leontius, had then been driven out and, after many synods, had unlawfully taken possession of Constantinople, the church of the Antiochenes had been deprived of a shepherd. Then the bishops who had come together (many had been gathered from everywhere) said that a shepherd must first be appointed for the flock, and then they should deliberate in common with him about doctrine.
At that time the godly Meletius, who had governed a city of Armenia and, vexed at the unruliness of those he governed, was living quietly elsewhere, was suspected by Arius's gang to be of their mind and a sharer of their doctrines, and they asked Constantius to hand him the reins of the church of the Antiochenes. For they transgressed every law fearlessly, trying to strengthen their impiety, and the transgression of ordinances became the foundation of blasphemy; they had done many such things in many parts of the earth. Those who held to the apostolic doctrines, knowing the soundness of the great Meletius in doctrine and clearly understanding the brilliance of his life and the wealth of his virtue, voted with them and took great pains that the decree should be written and signed by all. Both parties gave it, as a kind of common compact, to Eusebius, bishop of Samosata, a noble champion of the truth, to keep.
When the great Meletius came on receiving the imperial summons, all who had a share in the high priesthood went out to meet him; the other orders of the church and the whole multitude of the city went to meet him too; Jews and Greeks were also there, longing to see the celebrated Meletius. The emperor directed him and the others who were able to speak to expound to the multitude the text “The Lord created me the beginning of his ways for his works,” and he ordered those trained in swift writing to take down what each said, thinking that the teaching would thus be more exact. First George of Laodicea vomited out the heretical stench; after him Acacius of Caesarea offered a kind of middle teaching, standing very far from their blasphemy, but not keeping the apostolic character pure and unmixed. Third, the great Meletius stood up and showed the straightness of the rule of theology. Using the truth as a kind of plumb line, he avoided both excess and defect. When the multitude gave him great applause and begged him to give them a short summary of the teaching, he showed three fingers, then drew two together and left one, and uttered that praiseworthy saying: “The objects of thought are three, …”
Against this teaching those who carried the disease of Arius in their souls moved their tongues and wove a slander, saying that the divine Meletius held the views of Sabellius; and they persuaded that tide-race, easily carried this way and that, and arranged that he should banish him to his own homeland. At once they put forward Euzoius in his place, an open advocate of Arius's doctrines; for the great Alexander had excommunicated him, along with Arius, when he had been made a deacon. At once the sound part of the multitude separated from those who had taken in the disease and gathered in the apostolic church situated in the so-called Old Town. For thirty years after the plots made against the all-praiseworthy Eustathius they had continued to put up with the Arian foulness, awaiting some good change. But when they saw impiety growing among them, and those who held to the apostolic doctrines both openly attacked and secretly plotted against, and the divine Meletius driven out, and Euzoius, the patron of the heresy, receiving the presidency in his place, they remembered the words spoken to Lot, “Save your own life,” and besides these the laws of the gospel which clearly proclaim: “If your right eye causes you to stumble, cut it out and throw it from you.” The Master laid down the same about the hand and the foot, and added: “For it is better for you that one of your members should perish than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna.” This is how the division of the church came about.
Prov 8:22 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 19:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:29–30 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 18:8 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: After the Persian war Constantius holds a synod at Antioch; Meletius, believed by the Arians to share their views, is chosen bishop by both parties, but when he expounds Prov 8:22 in an orthodox sense and sums up the faith by showing three fingers and then one, he is exiled and replaced by Euzoius, and the orthodox separate and meet in the Old Town.
- Meletius had been bishop of Sebasteia in Armenia; the events are of 360–361.
- Meletius's saying is cut off in the printed text after “The objects of thought are three,” and the next sentence begins at once; the rest of the saying (“but we speak as to one,” as other witnesses give it) appears to have been lost with a line of the OCR. Marked “…”.
- “That tide-race”: Constantius (see 2.2).
- “Save your own life”: Gen 19:17. The gospel sayings: Matt 5:29–30 (with Matt 18:8).
Topics: Trinity, Heresy, Church office
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.27 (GCS 19:170–173; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-27). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-27
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.
2.28GCS 19:173–174
Εὐσέβιος δὲ ὁ θαυμάσιος, οὗ καὶ πρόσθεν ἐμνήσθην, ὁ τὸ ψφήφισμα τὸ κοινὸν πιστευθείς, τῶν συνθηκῶν τὴν παράβασιν θεασάμενος εἰς τὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένην ὥχετο πόλιν" οἱ δὲ τὸν ἀνάγραπτον ἔλεγχον ὑφορώμενοι τὸν Κωνστάντιον ἔπεισαν ἀποστεῖλαί τινα τὸ ψήφισμα κομιούμενον. καὶ δῆτα πεισθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλέ τινα τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πορείαν ἐναλλαττομένους ἵππους ἐλαύνειν εἰωθότα καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις οὑἰς τάχιστα φέροντα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀφίκετο καὶ τὰ παρὰ βασιλέως ἀπήγγειλεν, οὐκ ἀνέχομαιε, ἔφη Εὐσέβιος ὁ θαυμάσιος, τὴν κοινὴν ἀποδοῦναι παρακαταθήχην, πρὶ ἂν ἅπαντες οἱ δεδωκότες κατὰ ταὐτὸν γένοιντος. ταῦτα ὃ μὲν ἀπήγγειλε τῷ πεπομφότι"' ὁ δὲ τῷ θυμῷ ζέσας ἐπέστειλεν αὐτῷ πάλιν ἀποδοῦναϊ παρεγγυῶν, καὶ προστέθεικεν ὡς προσέταξεν ἐκτμηθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιάν, εἰ μὴ δοίη τὸ ψήφισμα. ταῦτα μέντοι δεδιττόμενος ἔγραψε" τῷ γὰρ κομίζοντε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀπηγόρευσεν ἅπερ ἠπείλησε δρᾶσαι. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀναπτύξας ὁ θεῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ εἶδεν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἣ ὃ βασιλεὺς ἠπείλησε κόλασιν, μετὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς καὶ τὴν εὐώνυμον προύθηκεν, ἄμφω τεμεῖν τὼ χεῖρε παρεγγυῶν᾽ τὸ γὰρ ψήφισμαε, ἔφη, οὐ δώσω, τῆς Ἀρειανικῆς μοχθηρίας ἔλεγχον ὄντα σαφῆ. ταύτην αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀνδρείαν μαθὼν ὁ Κωνστάντιος καὶ τότε ἠγάσθη ὃ καὶ διετέλει θαυμάζων. θαυμάζουσι γὰρ καὶ δυσμενεῖς τὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων πλεονεκτήματα, ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν πραττομένων ἀγναγκαζόμενοι. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ὁ Κωνστάντιος πυθόμενος οὑς Ἰουλιανός, ὃν τῆς Ηὐρώπης ἀπέφηνε Καίσαρα, μειζόνων πραγμάτων ἐφίἑται καὶ κατὰ τοῦ τετιμηκότος στρατιὰν συναγείρει, ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς Συρίας ἀπῆρεν, ἐν δὲ τῇ Κιλικίᾳ τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν. οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐπίκουρον ὃν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῷ καταλέλοιπε, τῆς πατρῴας εὐσεβείας ἄσυλον οὐ φυλάξας τὸν κλῆρον. οὗ δὴ εἵνεκα πικρῶς ὠλοφύρετο τῆς πίστεως τὴν μετάθεσιν.
Eusebios de ho thaumasios, hou kai prosthen emnēsthēn, ho to psphēphisma to koinon pisteutheis, tōn synthēkōn tēn parabasin theasamenos eis tēn enkecheirismenēn hōcheto polin" hoi de ton anagrapton elenchon hyphorōmenoi ton Kōnstantion epeisan aposteilai tina to psēphisma komioumenon. kai dēta peistheis ho basileus apesteile tina tous kata tēn poreian enallattomenous hippous elaunein eiōthota kai tas apokriseis houis tachista pheronta. epeidē de aphiketo kai ta para basileōs apēngeilen, ouk anechomaie, ephē Eusebios ho thaumasios, tēn koinēn apodounai parakatathēchēn, pri an hapantes hoi dedōkotes kata tauton genointos. tauta ho men apēngeile tǭ pepomphoti"' ho de tǭ thymǭ zesas epesteilen autǭ palin apodounaï parengyōn, kai prostetheiken hōs prosetaxen ektmēthēnai autou tēn cheira tēn dexian, ei mē doiē to psēphisma. tauta mentoi dedittomenos egrapse" tǭ gar komizonte tēn epistolēn apēgoreusen haper ēpeilēse drasai. epeidē de tēn epistolēn anaptyxas ho theios ekeinos anēr eiden en tois grammasin hē ho basileus ēpeilēse kolasin, meta tēs dexias kai tēn euōnymon prouthēken, amphō temein tō cheire parengyōn᾽ to gar psēphismae, ephē, ou dōsō, tēs Areianikēs mochthērias elenchon onta saphē. tautēn autou tēn andreian mathōn ho Kōnstantios kai tote ēgasthē ho kai dietelei thaumazōn. thaumazousi gar kai dysmeneis ta tōn antipalōn pleonektēmata, hypo tou megethous tōn prattomenōn agnankazomenoi. Kata touton ton chronon ho Kōnstantios pythomenos hous Ioulianos, hon tēs Ēurōpēs apephēne Kaisara, meizonōn pragmatōn ephietai kai kata tou tetimēkotos stratian synageirei, apo men tēs Syrias apēren, en de tę̄ Kilikią ton bion katelysen. ou gar eichen epikouron hon ho patēr autǭ kataleloipe, tēs patrǭas eusebeias asylon ou phylaxas ton klēron. hou dē heineka pikrōs ōlophyreto tēs pisteōs tēn metathesin.
The admirable Eusebius, whom I mentioned before, who had been entrusted with the common decree, seeing the compact broken, went off to the city entrusted to him. Those who feared the written proof persuaded Constantius to send someone to fetch the decree. The emperor, persuaded, sent one of those accustomed to ride the horses changed along the road and to carry replies with great speed. When he arrived and delivered the emperor's message, the admirable Eusebius said: “I will not consent to give back the common deposit until all who gave it are gathered in one place.” The man reported this to the one who had sent him; and he, boiling with anger, wrote to him again, directing him to give it back, and added that he had ordered his right hand to be cut off if he did not give up the decree. He wrote this to frighten him; for he forbade the bearer of the letter to do what he had threatened. When that divine man opened the letter and saw the punishment the emperor threatened in it, he held out his left hand with his right, bidding him cut off both hands: “For I will not give up the decree,” he said, “since it is a clear proof of Arian wickedness.” Learning of his courage, Constantius admired it then and continued to admire it; for even enemies admire the advantages of their opponents, compelled by the greatness of what is done.
At this time Constantius, learning that Julian, whom he had made Caesar of Europe, was aiming at greater things and was gathering an army against the one who had honoured him, set out from Syria, and ended his life in Cilicia. For he did not have as his helper the one whom his father had left him, since he had not kept the inheritance of his father's piety inviolate. For this reason he bitterly lamented his change of faith.
Notes and citation
Summary: Eusebius of Samosata refuses to surrender the decree concerning Meletius's election even when Constantius threatens to cut off his hand, offering both hands instead; Constantius, marching against Julian, dies in Cilicia lamenting that he had abandoned his father's faith.
- Constantius died at Mopsucrenae in Cilicia in 361. His deathbed regret is Theodoret's report.
Topics: Church office, Heresy
Cite (SBL): Theodoret, Hist. eccl. 2.28 (GCS 19:173–174; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-28). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/theodoret-historia-ecclesiastica/2-28
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Parmentier's Greek text (GCS 19, 1911; OCR by this project); every chapter compared afterwards with Jackson's English in NPNF² 3.