NICETAS CHONIATA FROM BOOK VI OF THE TREASURY OF ORTHODOX FAITH
On Macedonius.
1. A Since I am about to begin my discourse regarding the spirit-fighter Macedonius, I think it is necessary to set forth these matters first, as they are worthy of being known by those who study history, and are not at all disconnected from what is to be said. For Eusebius of Nicomedia, who has often appeared in previous accounts, being in every way opposed to the orthodox, first conspired—as we have said—against Eustathius of Antioch, and he deposed him on the basis of calumnies. After Alexander of Alexandria departed to God five months after the Council of Nicaea, Athanasius succeeded to the primacy. Eusebius’s faction, therefore, attempted through letters B to persuade him to receive Arius into communion; but when he would not yield to their entreaties, they devised the following. Meletius, the bishop of Lycopolis—whom the Nicene Synod had condemned—upon leaving this life, appointed one John, from among his own associates, as bishop in his place, contrary to the decree of those at Nicaea. The faction of Eusebius, therefore, having approached those who held John’s views, persuaded them to accuse Athanasius; and they did accuse him, claiming that he had not been ordained according to the canons, that he had imposed a tax of linen tunics upon the Egyptians, that he had corrupted a woman, and that while conspiring against the sovereign, he had sent a chest filled with gold to a certain Philumenus, one of the imperial servants, and that he had prevented the shipment of grain from Egypt, and that he had cut off the hand of a certain Arsenius for the sake of magic.
2. Because of these things, therefore, the emperor commanded a synod to be assembled at Caesarea in Palestine. C But Athanasius being inclined to delay, because Eusebius of Caesarea (the son of Pamphilus), the bishop of that city, was a friend and collaborator of Eusebius of Nicomedia, the Meletians for their part accused him again of having shattered a mystical cup in Mareotis, of having overturned the episcopal throne, and of having committed certain other prohibited acts. Therefore the emperor permitted a synod to take place in Tyre, and when it had gathered, Athanasius gained a most outstanding victory; but the bishops—the enemies of the truth—condemned him all the more; and then they sent a delegation to Mareotis, a certain region of Alexandria that took its name from Lake Mareia. Those who were sent were Theognis of Nicaea, Maris of Chalcedon, Theodorus of Perinthus (or Heraclea), Narcissus of Neronias, Valens of Mursa, Ursacius of Singidunum, [and] Macedonius of Mopsuestia; who, after they had
B sought into the matters of the breaking of the sacred cup and the deposition from the episcopal see, passed over the true things, but themselves imagined false ones, and deposed, as they thought, Athanasius, receiving also that Arsenius, whose hand they said had been cut off; he, who was formerly a bishop of the Meletian superstition, at that time subscribed against Athanasius among them as bishop of the city of the Hypseletians.
3. In the meantime, the temple in Jerusalem around the place of the Skull, which is called the great Martyrium, having been finished, the emperor ordered the bishops who were at Tyre to go to Jerusalem and to consecrate that temple. Then, however, the favorers of the Arians, finding an opportunity, attempted to bring about a synod at Jerusalem, and for communion to be granted to Arius and Euzoius. Having therefore persuaded the emperor through his own sister Constantia and a certain Arian presbyter intimate with this woman, they saw to it that he should see Arius and Euzoius, whom, after he had seen them and supposed that they believed similarly to the Nicene Fathers, he sent to the bishops gathered at Jerusalem, writing that a favorable opinion should be held regarding them, if they seemed to believe rightly. The Arians, therefore, seizing the opportunity, received them, and wrote to the emperor and to all the bishops everywhere that they were orthodox.
4. These things being thus done, C Athanasius fled from Tyre and came to Constantinople; whose petition the emperor hearing, as he said he had not been justly condemned, wrote to those then gathered at Tyre to go down to him, so that the cause of Athanasius might be examined before his own eyes. When, therefore, they had arrived, Eusebius of Nicomedia contended that the sentence passed upon Athanasius was just; he brought forward as witnesses Theognis, Maris, Theodorus, Valens, and Ursacius. The emperor, either believing the things that were said to be true, or suspecting that the bishops would agree together in order that Athanasius might be removed from their midst, ordered him to be taken to Trier, which is a city of the western Gauls; and Athanasius was taken away and remained there until the death of Constantine.
5. But Arius, after the synod at Jerusalem, came into Egypt; D and since the Church of the Alexandrians did not communicate with him, he returned again to Constantinople; and thus were the prayers of the holy Alexander fulfilled. After these things, however, the Eusebians began to innovate openly regarding the exposition of those who had gathered at Nicaea, and to reject in writing the consubstantial. They saw to it, therefore, that a synod should gather at Constantinople, and they deposed and busied themselves that the heralds of the consubstantial should be sent into exile: Asclepas the bishop of Gaza, Climatius of Antaradus, another Climatius of Paltus, Ephration of Balanae, Cyrus of Beroea, Domnus of Sirmium, Ellanius of Tripoli, Arius of the Petrae of Palaestina, and Asterius of the Petrae of Arabia, Olympius of Aenus, Theodulus of Trajanopolis, Vincentius of Capua, Ephrata of Agrippina, Eutropius of Adrianople, to whom succeeded Lucius,
and above all, they deposed the aforementioned Marcellus of Ancyra; for they were excessively enraged at him, as he had neither agreed with those things defined by them against Athanasius in the synod held in Phoenicia, nor those at Jerusalem concerning Arius, nor had he participated in the consecration of the great martyrion, due to his detestation of communion with them. And these things, indeed, were done while Constantine the Great was still alive. A
5. Upon his death, and the empire of the East falling to Constantius, the affairs of the Arians gained more momentum; for that presbyter who was of Arian mind, whom the sister of Constantine had commended to Constantine, was also dear to Constantius, as the one who had delivered to him the testament of Constantine. From that time on, having become familiar with the empress and the most powerful eunuchs of the royal bedchamber, over whom presided Eusebius, a supporter of Arius, he greatly stirred up the Arians. In the meantime, Athanasius returned to Alexandria from the Gauls, Constantine—the son of Constantine the Great, who ruled over the Gauls in the West—having permitted his return and written letters to the Alexandrians. B
7. At this time, Eusebius Pamphili having departed this life, Acacius succeeded to the bishopric in Caesarea of Palestine. Not long after, the Emperor Constantine, having waged war against his own brother Constans, was killed by his commanders at Aquileia. At that time also, Alexander of Constantinople having died, Macedonius was chosen by the Arians, and Paul by the orthodox, against the wishes of Eusebius, bishop of Nicomedia, and Theodore of Heraclea in Thrace, to whom, as neighbors, the ordination pertained. Constantius, being angered at these things, came to Byzantium (for he was away at the time), and having convened a synod, he handed over the throne of Constantinople to Eusebius of Nicomedia, who on this occasion received his second transfer. During this time, ninety-seven bishops gathered at Antioch the Great; they gathered to consecrate the newly built church which Constantine had begun to build and Constantius had finished; but in reality, as the event proved, they gathered in order to change the doctrines of Nicaea. C
8. The leaders of this synod were: Eusebius of Constantinople, who had been transferred from Nicomedia; Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine; Patrophilus of Scythopolis; Theodore of Perinthus; Eudoxius of Germanicia; Diausius of Caesarea in Cappadocia; and George of Laodicea in Syria. But Maximus, who had become bishop of Jerusalem after Macarius, had intentionally avoided this synod, repenting that he—having been deceived—had cast his vote alongside those who had deposed Athanasius at Tyre. By these men, therefore, who had assembled at Antioch, and who—besides the perversion of the dogma—had condemned Athanasius, Eusebius was chosen as bishop of Alexandria, [a man] from Edessa,
the city of the Osroenians, but later becoming bishop of Emesa, who was also accused of practicing the so-called "effective" part of astronomy. But because Eusebius declined Alexandria, Gregory of the Tarbastheni (Tarbathbeni) was substituted. The Alexandrians, indignant at this, set fire to the church named after Dionysius, who had been bishop of this city; and Athanasius, fleeing, arrived in Rome.
9. Not long after, upon the death of Eusebius, Paul and Macedonius again laid claim to [the see of] Constantinople. When Constantius learned of this in Antioch, he ordered Hermogenes, the general of the army who was being sent to the Thracian regions, to make it a secondary task of his journey to drive Paul out of the church. When he had arrived there and attempted to use a military hand, B the populace rose up, and seizing him, killed him. When Constantius was informed of what had occurred, he reached Constantinople and cast out Paul, but he punished the city by depriving it of the grain supply which his father used to provide, [reducing it] by more than forty thousand measures; for previously, eighty thousand measures of grain were granted to the citizens each year from the taxes imposed upon the Egyptian people. However, he did not immediately make Macedonius bishop of the city, but allowed him to assemble in the aforementioned church in which Paul had been ordained; and thus he himself returned to Antioch, while Paul reached Rome.
10. But Theodoret narrates what happened at Alexandria differently. For he says that after the flight of Athanasius, Gregory held the episcopate until the synod held at Sardica; but after this synod, Gregory C was deposed by the Alexandrians, and Athanasius then returned to his own throne by the letters of Constans, who was then reigning in Rome. But after Constans died, Athanasius fled again, and George the Cappadocian was put forward by the Arians, and he contrived countless evils against the supporters of Athanasius, and sent into exile some of the bishops of Egypt and Libya: Gaius of Parætonium, Agathius of Phragonis and part of the Elearchia of Egypt, Ammonius of Pachnemunis and [the rest] of the remainder of the Elearchia, Agathodaemon of Schedia and Menelais, Dracontius of Hermopolis Minor, Adelphius of Onuphis, Paphnutius of Sais, of whom the great Athanasius also makes mention in his Apology concerning his own flight; and besides these, another Ammonius, Moïus, Philo, Hermes, Plinius, Psenesiris, Agamphus, Marcus, Nilammon, another Marcus, Athenodorus, and the presbyters Hierax and Dioscorus. Thus, then [narrates] Theodoret. D But Socrates and Sozomen say that immediately after Paul was cast out and Constantius had returned to Antioch, the Arianizers removed Gregory from Alexandria, as being neither pleasing to the Alexandrians nor diligent in the defense of their own dogma; and in his place they sent George, who originated from Cappadocia and had acquired a reputation for the Arian superstition.
A 11. In the meantime, however, Athanasius and Paul, as we have said, arrived in Rome, as did Marcellus of Ancyra and Asclepas of Gaza, whom the Arians had deposed, falsely accusing him of having overturned the altar, and in whose place they had ordained Centianus; and in addition to them, Lucius of Adrianople, who had been accused of another crime. Julius, the bishop of Rome, finding these men to be in agreement with the faith of the Nicene Council, admitted them to his communion and wrote to all the bishops of the East, that they should restore to them their own sees and send, on an appointed day, those who could prove that they had been justly deposed. Relying upon these letters, the supporters of Athanasius each recovered their own sees. Those, however, who received these letters took it ill; and gathering at Antioch, they replied to Julius that it was not right for the bishops of the East to be ruled by him, if he wished to expel any from their churches; for neither had the bishops of the East resisted when the bishops of the West expelled Novatus. Moreover, they stirred up Constantius against Athanasius and Paul; and he wrote from Antioch to Philip, the prefect of Constantinople, to expel Paul from the city and to hand over the church to Macedonius. Paul was therefore immediately expelled. Philip, meanwhile, proceeded to the church, having Macedonius seated with him on his chariot; and they were followed by a military guard armed with swords. But when a huge multitude was present and would B not make way for the prefect and Macedonius, the soldiers believed that the crowd intended to resist; and they killed many with their swords, while many others were trampled by one another. There died, as it is said, about three thousand one hundred and fifty. By such success, therefore, Macedonius was installed in the episcopal seat by the prefect.
12. Athanasius, fearful of the plot of Constantius—for he had threatened him with death—went to Rome. And Paul, having been taken to Thessalonica, whence his ancestors were said to have originated, since he had received permission to leave the East, and was not prohibited from going to Illyricum and the region beyond it, pretended to set out for Corinth, and he too came to Rome. When, therefore, Julius had warned the Emperor Constans concerning their situation, he wrote to the Emperor Constantius to send bishops who might defend their deposition. There were sent, therefore, Narcissus of Irenopolis, Theodore of Heraclea, Maris of Chalcedon, and Marcus of Arethusa; they, in fact, concealed the faith set forth by them at Antioch and constructed another that was entirely repugnant to that of Nicaea. C And after they had delivered this to the Emperor Constans and had accomplished nothing of what they wished, they returned having achieved nothing. After three years, however, the bishops of the East composed another faith, which they termed the
long exposition
, and they sent it to those in the West by means of Eudoxius of Germanicia and Macedonius of Mopsuestia, in which they made no mention of the essence of God, but they excommunicated those who said D that the Son of God was from things non-existent.A Likewise they [excommunicated] the Sabellians, whom the Romans call Patropassians, as confusing the Father with the Son and the Spirit, and calling him sometimes Father, sometimes Son, and sometimes Spirit; for the Roman language uses the term *passim* (which means "everywhere") for what is done indiscriminately and without distinction. Since the Westerners did not accept this faith, but said that the Nicene dogmas were sufficient for them, Constans wrote to his brother, as it seemed just to him that the sees should be restored to the supporters of Athanasius.
13. But since nothing further was being achieved, it pleased the two emperors to summon a council at the city of Sardica. And there gathered, according to Theodoret, two hundred and fifty bishops; but according to Socrates and Sozomen, from the Western regions about three hundred, and from the East seventy-six; in whose number were Sabinus, bishop of the Macedonians in Heraclea of Thrace, and Ischyras, who had received the bishopric of Mareotes from those who were hostile to Athanasius. The Westerners indeed gathered at Sardica itself; but the Easterners, having reached Philippopolis, made it known to them that they were unwilling to enter into discussions with them, unless they expelled the supporters of Athanasius from the assembly and from communion as being deposed. When they did not bear this, they held a council in the city of Philippopolis itself, and deposed, as they pleased, Julius of Rome, because he had been the first to communicate with Athanasius and his supporters; Hosius of Corduba for the same reason, and because he had been a friend to Paulinus and Eustathius who had ruled Antioch; Maximinus of Trier, as being the first to communicate with Paul; Protogenes of Sardica, because he defended Marcellus whom he had previously condemned; and Gaudentius, as acting differently than Cyriacus whom he had succeeded, and as holding in high regard those whom they had deposed.
14. But those around Hosius, having gathered, declared Athanasius innocent as one who had been unjustly harassed by those who had met at Tyre, and Marcellus as in no way assenting to the thoughts of which he was falsely accused. For the evil arts of the Eusebians were manifest, says Theodoret; for the things which Marcellus had spoken as questions, these they slandered as if they had been put forth by him as settled. But when these things were read at the synod held at Sardica, the faith of this man was found to be orthodox. Socrates D says that Marcellus, in order to repel his condemnation, persuaded the bishops gathered at Sardica that those who had deposed him did not understand what he had written, and that for this reason he had incurred the suspicions of the Samosatene bishop. But Patriarch Photius, comparing the narratives of Socrates and Theodoret, says that the bishops at Sardica were truly deceived; and because they had not well understood the writings of Marcellus, they falsely acquitted him; whence no one accepted their judgment concerning him; but Marcellus remains outside the Church.
A The bishops at Sardica also declared Asclepas of Gaza innocent, as he brought forward testimonies from Eusebius of Pamphilus and many others that defended him; they did the same for Lucius of Adrianople, whose accusers had fled. They deposed George of Alexandria, Basil of Ancyra, the adversary of Marcellus, Centianus of Gaza who pressed the case against Asclepas, Theodore of Heraclea, Narcissus of Irenopolis, Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine, Menophantus of Ephesus, Ursacius of Singidunum, Valens of Mursa, and George of Laodicea, although he was not present at that synod; and he, according to the great Athanasius, had already been deposed from the priesthood by the blessed Alexander for debauchery. And these matters were handled in this fashion.
15. The supporters of Athanasius again occupied Rome; and Constans, the emperor of the West, having learned what had happened at Sardica, wrote to the emperor Constantius to restore their own churches to the supporters of Athanasius. When he delayed, he wrote to him again, either to restore them or to prepare for war. Constantius, therefore, having communicated this to the bishops in the East, and thinking it foolish to engage in a civil war for this reason, called back by three letters Athanasius and those with him. Paul of Constantinople, Marcellus of Ancyra, Asclepas of Gaza, and Lucius of Adrianople therefore recovered their own sees. B But when Athanasius arrived in Antioch in Syria, where Constantius was staying, he proved him to be well-disposed; yet, at the instigation of the Arians, Constantius said to him: "I deem it fair that out of the many churches that are under you, one should be granted in Alexandria to those who refuse to communicate with you." But he, answering, said: "I myself ask for a similar favor, O Emperor, that those who flee the communion of the heterodox may have one church in Antioch." Upon hearing this from the Emperor, the Arians sought nothing else. Athanasius, departing thence, reached Jerusalem; its bishop, Maximus, having convened a local synod, communicated with him; and thus, when Athanasius returned to Alexandria, he deposed all those who professed the dogmas of Arius.
16. In the meantime, Constans, who was reigning in the West, was slain through the machinations of Magnentius, and Constantius became emperor of the entire realm; C he, being persuaded by the Arians, reversed everything that had been decreed before to the contrary. Paul of Constantinople, therefore, having been exiled to Cucusus in Armenia, was put to death by strangulation, and Macedonius again held the church. When Marcellus was cast out, Basil again became master of the bishopric; Lucius perished in prison in chains of iron; and Athanasius, whom he had ordered to be killed, barely escaped. Constantius, having set out for Illyria against Vetranio, who was attempting to seize the throne, came to Sirmium, where there was held D against Photinus
A a synod. Meanwhile, the one who had played the tyrant in Rome, Magnentius, was killed by his own generals, as was another tyrant named Silvanus; therefore, with great security, Constantius set out for ancient Rome and commanded that a synod be held at Mediolanum [Milan].
17. Meanwhile, as Sozomenos narrates, when Narcissus of Irenopolis, Theodore of Heraclea, and Eugenius, who had succeeded Theognis in Nicaea, and Patrophilus of Scythopolis, and Menophantus of Ephesus, and about thirty others had gathered in Antioch, they wrote to the bishops everywhere against Athanasius. But to Mediolanum, few came from the East, the others, as is likely, pleading old age or sickness or the difficulty of the journey; but from the West more than three hundred were gathered. Since, therefore, the Easterners deemed it proper that a common decree be issued against Athanasius, some of the Westerners, who were also sent into exile, resisted, such as Liberius of Rome, Paulinus of Trier in Gaul, Dionysius of Alba in Italy, Eusebius of Vercelli in Liguria, Lucifer of Caralis in Sardinia, and Hilary of Poitiers in the second Aquitania.
18. B But this synod dissolving without effect, Eudoxius of Germanicia, having learned that Leontius of Antioch in Syria had died, requested of the emperor that he be allowed to return from Rome to Germanicia, as that city was in need of him; having obtained this permission, he seized Antioch and, by the support of the Arians, and especially of the imperial eunuchs, secured for himself the bishopric of that city. And thereafter he revived the doctrine of Aetius, teaching that the Son is unlike the Father, together with the supporters of Acacius of Caesarea and Uranius of Tyre. George of Laodicea, however, gave warning about this innovation of Eudoxius to Basil of Ancyra, Macedonius of Mopsuestia, and Necropoeus of Nicomedia; these men, together with Eustathius of Sebaste and Eleusius of Cyzicus, made known to the emperor what had happened, C requesting that that faith prevail which says the Son is not consubstantial, but similar to the Father in essence, or else [explicitly] unlike; and that those who say He is consubstantial be deposed. The emperor, assenting to these requests, which he also found to be approved by other bishops, such as Valens of Mursa, Ursacius of Singidunum, Germanius of Sirmium, Auxentius of Mediolanum, and Demophilus of Berrhoe in Thrace, decreed that a synod be celebrated in Nicaea. But because those who surrounded the emperor objected, on the grounds that questions concerning doctrine had once previously been debated in that city, it was decided that it should take place at Nicomedia; but since an earthquake had devastated D that city, it was again decreed that the synod be held at Nicaea. The emperor, however, changed his mind and wished it to be gathered at Seleucia in Isauria.
19. But those around Eudoxius, considering that with all the bishops gathered together they would not be able to persuade them to accept the "unlike," they...
contrived, with the eunuchs acting in concert with them, for two synods to be held: the one of the Western bishops at Ariminum in Italy, and that of the Eastern bishops at Seleucia in Isauria. And that I may cut short many words, to Paul of blessed memory, who had received the crown of confession, there succeeded Macedonius—like, one might say, darkness succeeding the day. A He was at first agreeing with those around Acacius of Caesarea in Palestine, and he did not say that the Son was "of like substance" (homoiousion) to the Father, but only "like" (homoion). But, after he had been deposed by them—those who were moved to anger against him by the Emperor Constantius, because he had moved the corpse of his father Constantine the Great and had been the cause of the recent slaughters (of which we have spoken before)—he resided for some time in a place near the Gates of Bithynia, B where he also died. He had, however, inclined toward those who constituted the other party, that is, the Semi-Arians—I mean those around George of Laodicea and Basil of Ancyra—and taught that the Son, according to them, was "of like substance" to the Father.
20. The heresiarch, desiring to be proclaimed and having devised something novel, raved more violently against the Holy Spirit. For the others—those who introduced the "of like substance," those who babbled about "like" without substance, and simply all those from the Arian party—although they said that the Son was a creature and less than the Father, they still counted Him within the Holy Trinity; but this accursed man declined to include Him in the theology of the Trinity, C saying that He was bereft of such honors, calling Him a minister and a servant, and using such names as would not be applied even to angels. Whence both he and his faction were called "Spirit-fighters" (Pneumatomachi) by the orthodox. This heresy was increased most especially by Marathonius of Nicomedia, from whom the Macedonians were called by some "Marathonians," and by Eleusius of Cyzicus. When Julian reigned, the Spirit-fighters, having gained security from the death of Constantius—amongst whom were Basil of Ancyra, Silvanus of Tarsus, Eustathius of Sebaste, Eleusius of Cyzicus, Pausinicus of Zela, Leontius of Comana, Callistratus of Calliopolis, Theophilus of Castabala, Sophronius of Pompeiopolis, and those of their borders—were separated into their own system D and clearly began to be called Macedonians, and having held certain synods, they excommunicated those around Acacius.
21. When Jovian had embarked upon the imperial office, they gave him a book of petition, requesting that those who taught the "unlike" dogmas be expelled from the churches, and that they themselves be introduced as those who proclaimed the "consubstantial" (homoousion). The emperor, however, sent them away without an answer, saying only this: that he loathed contentiousness, but loved those who hastened toward concord. At that time, the contentious character of those around Acacius was exposed, and how they were always leaning toward those in power. For having gathered in An-
Antioch of Syria, they entered into conversation with Meletius, who taught the consubstantial. And this is what they did, since they saw that he was honored by the emperor who was staying there at that time. Therefore, by common consent, they gathered a council of twenty-seven bishops, composed a document, confessed the consubstantial, and confirming the faith at Nicaea, they gave this to the emperor. Those in charge of this council A were Meletius of Antioch, Eusebius of Samosata, Acacius of Caesarea, Pelagius of Laodicea in Syria, and Athanasius of Ancyra.
22. When Valentinian and Valens began to rule, all the Macedonians deputed for themselves as a legate to Valentinian, Hypatius, the bishop of Perinthus, asking that it be permitted to them to assemble for the correction of doctrine. But Valentinian replied: "It is not permitted for me, placed in the order of the people, to agitate such things; but let the priests, to whom care for these affairs pertains, assemble by themselves wherever they wish." Immediately, therefore, they came together at Lampsacus, and having held deliberation for two months, they decreed that the things done by them at Antioch were void, and that it was better to hold that the Son is similar in substance to the Father. B Having defined these things, they encountered Valens as he was returning from Thrace (for he had traveled some part of the journey with his brother as he set out for Rome). He, however, urged them not to dissent from Eudoxius. He was the one who had succeeded Macedonius and was in agreement with Eunomius and his supporters. But when they refused, he ordered them to go into exile. Afterward, he brought back Eleusius and forced him to agree with Eudoxius in faith. In the beginning, he resisted; but then, fearing exile and expulsion, he did what he was ordered; but immediately he repented. For returning to Cyzicus, he confessed his sin in the church, and urged his own people to choose another bishop for themselves, because he himself had denied his own doctrine under compulsion of necessity. The Cyzicenes, however, overcome by their love for him, did not accept his heresy, but remained under his governance; hearing this, Eudoxius proposed Eunomius for the bishopric of Cyzicus.
23. There were being driven out by Eudoxius, the bishop of Constantinople, and the emperor Valens, not only those who professed the consubstantial Son, C but by now even the Macedonians themselves; who, not bearing the injury, determined to flee to the emperor’s brother and to Liberius, the bishop of Rome, preferring to embrace their faith rather than to communicate with those around Eudoxius. Therefore, they send Eustathius of Sebastia, and Silvanus of Tarsus, and Theophilus of Castabala in Cilicia; who, having arrived before Liberius, condemn Arius and those who similarly thought and taught like him; they reject every heresy contrary to the faith of the council of Nicaea; and they receive the consubstantial alone, in the sense that this word signifies "similar in substance." D Having received this written confession of theirs, Liberius dealt with their cause; and having accepted letters from him, they sailed to Sicily.
A synod was convened there, and as the bishops of that region decreed the same things, they returned.
24. At that time, while Eusebius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Athanasius of Ancyra, Pelagius of Laodicea in Syria, Zeno of Tyre, Paul of Emesa, Otrius of Melitene, Gregory of Nazianzus, and many others—who had also decreed at Antioch that the Son is consubstantial, in the reign of Jovian—were holding a synod, the letters of Liberius and those of the West were read. Rejoicing at these, they wrote to all the churches throughout Asia that they should agree with these letters and, while it was still spring, gather at Tarsus. But just as the bishops were on the verge of holding the synod at Tarsus, thirty-four Asian bishops, B having gathered at Antioch in Caria, praised the zeal for the concord of the churches, but rejected the term "consubstantial." However, the Emperor Valens, through the machinations of Eudoxius, dissolved the synod which was to take place in Cilicia. But the Macedonians, for some time, communicated indifferently with others in the churches of each city, mingling with one another and with those who from the beginning had professed the consubstantial.
25. After the death of Valens, Gratian issued a law allowing everyone to worship God as they wished and to assemble, except for the Manichaeans and those who held the views of Photinus and Eunomius; once again, many taught that the term "consubstantial" should be extirpated. However, the Emperor Theodosius the Great, being a supporter of the consubstantial, convened a synod of bishops like-minded with himself for the sake of confirming what had been decreed at Nicaea. Thinking it possible to join the so-called Macedonians to the Catholic Church, he also summoned them. There gathered, therefore, at Constantinople, of those who confessed the consubstantial Trinity, about one hundred and fifty, C among whom were Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, Amphilochius, and others of the most famous Fathers of that time, who all requested the Macedonians to acknowledge the consubstantial, reminding them of the embassy and the confession which they had tendered to Liberius of Rome through Eustathius, Silvanus, and Theophilus. They, however, saying that they had never openly taught that the Son is consubstantial with the Father—even though they had stated the contrary in their confession to Liberius—were dismissed. The others of the other party remained, and after they decreed that the Holy Spirit is Lord and Giver of Life, and that He proceeds from the Father and is co-worshipped and co-glorified with the Father, as is also contained in the divine symbol, and struck Macedonius with an anathema—as also those who taught that on the subject of the Son [the term] "consubstantial" or "similar" [should be used]—they established this second pious synod after the one at Nicaea, and also set forth D canons concerning
A various ecclesiastical questions, they deliberated as to whom they should entrust the bishopric of Constantinople. Now, the emperor, holding Gregory the Theologian in admiration, judged him worthy of this bishopric; and the majority of the synod agreed. But he himself, perceiving that some were opposing him, especially those from Egypt, after some time declined. Therefore, with Diodorus as witness, Nectarius of Tarsus, being as yet uninitiated, is elected, and he is baptized, and—while still clothed in the baptismal robe—is ordained bishop of Constantinople.
26. After these things, Nectarius and the others, having come together, confirmed the faith of Nicaea, and anathematized every heresy, and decreed that churches everywhere should be administered according to the ancient canons, and that bishops should remain in their own churches and not proceed to foreign ones, nor, without being invited, obtrude themselves into foreign ordinations, as happened previously—which often occurred, to the disadvantage of the Catholic Church. And as for the matters that happen within each nation, the synod of the nation should administer them as would seem best. After the bishop of Rome, the bishop of Constantinople should hold the precedence B, inasmuch as he occupies the throne of the new Rome. They reaffirmed again the faith of Nicaea, and established patriarchs, distributing the provinces C so that bishops might not cross beyond their own diocese to foreign churches. Nectarius receives the Imperial City and Thrace; the patriarchate of the Pontic diocese is allotted to Helladius of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nyssa, and Otreius of Melitene; the Asiatic [diocese] is allotted to Amphilochius of Iconium, and Optimus of Antioch in Pisidia; the regions of Egypt were entrusted to Timothy of Alexandria. The administration of the Eastern churches they entrusted to Pelagius of Laodicea, and Diodorus of Tarsus, while safeguarding the dignity of the Church of Antioch, which they granted to Meletius, who was present. The synod also defined that, if need should call, the synod of the province should manage those matters that happen within each province. The affairs regarding Maximus were also subjected to examination—he who was Alexandrian by birth, a Cynic philosopher in his way of life, and a fervent supporter of the doctrine of the Nicaean synod—having been ordained D secretly by the Egyptians who were gathered there at that time, and having been constituted bishop of Constantinople while Gregory the Theologian still occupied this see. And it was decreed that he had never been, nor was, bishop, nor were the clergy ordained by him, but that what was done regarding him and by him remained null and void.
NICETAS CHONIATES FROM BOOK VIII OF THE TREASURY OF ORTHODOX FAITH
A 1. Nestorius originated from the town of Germanicia; I do not know with what disciplines he was acquainted from the beginning. Moving from place to place, like some Egyptian scourge, he rushed into the great city of the Antiochenes. There he became a moderate participant in the liberal arts, and having practiced a voice that was most beautiful and impressive, he crept into the Church of God. Being inscribed in the catalogue of presbyters and entrusted with the care of teaching the people of God, he showed from the very beginning what he would be throughout his entire life. For he did not pursue the kind of oratory that is clever, noble, and capable of cultivating the souls of men, but, inclined toward the adulation of the people and being, more than anyone else, an enthusiast for applause dissipated into the air, he imbued the base and unstable throng with his own desire. Clad in a dark cloak, walking about with a gloomy expression, avoiding the tumult of the forum, and tempering his appearance with a bodily pallor, he wished to be seen as one who practices self-restraint. Mostly staying at home, absorbed in books and conversing with himself in leisure, he caught the multitude with such habits and pretenses. He proceeded to a great age, desiring to appear a Christian rather than to be one, and preferring his own glory to the glory of Christ.
B 2. But since, as it was said by the Lord, there is nothing secret that shall not be known, nor anything hidden that shall not come to light, and because good works are manifest and evil deeds cannot be hidden, according to the unsearchable abyss of the judgments of God, Nestorius, by the suffrage of those who sit near the royal thrones and of him who at that time held the scepters of the whole world, is entrusted with the presidency of the orthodox Catholic Church at Constantinople, and no less with that of the whole world. When he had ascended that great throne and had snatched the leadership of the episcopate as if it were a kind of tyranny, he could no longer hold back within himself the offspring of his impiety. Instead, conceiving an unheard-of audacity from his power, he brought into the open and set before all the blasphemy against the Only-Begotten which he had long ago devised, and he openly declared war against the apostolic dogmas. He attempted to cast out the sayings of the holy Fathers, from the time when the Gospel of the faith of the orthodox leaders was announced, troubling the Church of the royal city
A, troubling also the whole inhabited world; nor did he turn back even when the divine Paul cried out: "He who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is." Instead, upon the lampstand of the divine episcopal chair, he places not the light of truth, but the darkness of impiety.
3. B There came to him first the attempt of innovation: that one ought not to confess the most holy Virgin to be the Mother of God, according to the flesh, of the Word of God, but only the Mother of Christ, while the heralds of the Church, both of old and of time long past, according to the apostolic tradition, taught that she should be named and believed to be the Mother of God and the Mother of the Lord. Come now, observe also this blasphemous sophistry of his, known to no one before him: "The appellation of Christ," he says, "signifies two natures, namely the divinity of the Only-begotten and the humanity; but the word 'Goded' taken by itself presents the simple and incorporeal substance of the Word of God; and the word 'man' indicates only the human nature. For this reason," he says, "it is necessary to confess the Virgin to be the Mother of Christ, but not the Mother of God, lest we happen, without realizing it, to say that the Word of God received a beginning of existence from the holy Virgin, and so be forced to confess that the mother was born before Him who was born from her, according to the sequence."
4. C But that we may not seem to be accusing this man with empty insults solely, I shall make him himself the witness of his own impiety by the things he has said. For, having cast out from his own mind the memory of all apostolic teachings and of every saint, he proclaimed in the Church of the orthodox many such voices: "Mary, my good sir, did not give birth to God, but gave birth to a man, the instrument of the divinity." And again in other babblings, he compares the irreproachable Mother to the gods of the Gentiles. For, having embraced the Jewish sentiment, he did not say that the Word had become flesh unchangeably, D but that He inhabited a certain man, as into one of the prophets, and made this one His own by a special love; and that there was one Son, but another who was called so, not a genuine Son, but the adoptive son who was called Jesus Christ. Thence it was said that there were two Sons, and not one only. Therefore, by synodal suffrage and the royal will, he is expelled from the episcopate, and being ordered to inhabit the Oasis he received the prelude of the future punishment of the impious, being consumed by his own madness and fulfilling in himself that apostolic oracle: "Some men's sins are clearly evident, leading to judgment." For God stirred up against him the spirit of Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, who wrote to Nestorius, urging him into the orthodox faith and exhorting him to name and believe the holy Mary to be the Theotokos. But when he did not yield to his entreaties, he sent another letter again; yet, as he spoke against it, a synod is later assembled at
by the prefect of the city and many others, a synod is convened and Nestorius is invited to come there. A
5. Theodosius the Younger held the reins of the empire at that time; and presiding over this third synod were Cyril of Alexandria, Celestine of Rome, Juvenal of Jerusalem, and Acacius of Melitene. Nestorius is deposed, but the two previous synods are confirmed, and they confess Him to be perfect and one Son in divinity, and perfect in humanity, and one, not two Sons, as the definition proclaimed by them declares. And thus the synod is dissolved. But John of Antioch and Theodoret of Cyrrhus, resisting the blessed Cyril under the pretext that the definition had been proclaimed without them, even though the great Cyril had awaited them for many days—while in truth they were behaving contentiously and incorrectly toward him—they too departed, discordant, to their own opinions, stirring up much tumult in the meantime; so much so that Theodoret composed twelve other chapters against the twelve chapters of Cyril, and Cyril himself again defended himself against these, and fittingly established his own chapters. After the emperor, however, was informed of these things, he became angry at them, and especially at holy Cyril. Wherefore Acacius of Melitene was sent to him, a man pious and learned, who had attained the highest degree of prudence, who explained the acts of the synod to the king and composed his mind; and what had been proclaimed received validity. Cyril then returned to his own city; and those who were at variance received unity. B C
NICETAS CHONIATES EXCERPT FROM BOOK IX OF THE TREASURY OF ORTHODOX FAITH
Concerning Eutyches
1. In the time of the reign of Theodosius the Younger, there was in the royal city a certain archimandrite named Eutyches, who was in charge of a monastery; this monastery was formerly at the borders of the seventh [milestone], lay outside Constantinople, and was called after Job. Now, however, it is seen within the city and is adjacent to the church of St. Mocius; and Faustus and Dalmatius, along with Isaac, are honored in it, since Constantinople received an expansion later from the same Theodosius, by whom, they say, the land walls of this city were erected in sixty days. Whether this report is true
A I do not know with accuracy. This wretched Eutyches, therefore, blaspheming, said that he knew our Lord Jesus Christ to have consisted of two natures before the union, but of one after the union; and that the most holy Theotokos was consubstantial with us, but that the God-Word who took flesh from her was not consubstantial with us. "For I say," he says, "that the body of Christ is the body of Christ, but it is no longer the body of a man." Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum, being his friend and acquaintance, often urged him not to utter such dogmas, which are contrary to the true faith; but seeing him unchangeable, he reported it to Flavian, who was at that time the patriarch of Constantinople.
2. And after Flavian had summoned Eutyches and examined the matter B with the synod of bishops that was resident there, Eutyches, seeing himself being condemned, persuaded a certain man named Nomus, who was at that time consul, and Chrysaphius the chamberlain, surnamed Zymbas, who were of the same mind as himself, to inform the emperor regarding the things that concerned him, saying that a pious and just man was being treated ill by the patriarch. This having been done, Florentius the patrician, from the rank of the ex-consuls and prefects, was sent to sit in the synod of Flavian and not to allow Eutyches to be unjustly harassed. Therefore, in the second examination that was set, Eutyches was convicted of evil doctrine even more than before, and he was deposed from the priesthood. But Nomus and Chrysaphius, having taken advantage of the emperor's light-mindedness, induced him to order that a synod be held at Ephesus C and that the most holy Flavian be judged together with the deposed Eutyches, with Dioscorus of Alexandria judging, who was of the same mind as Eutyches, and with the presence also of Barsumas the presbyter and archimandrite of a certain monastery in the East, who was thought to be orthodox and irreproachable in his life, while being in his heresy someone else than Eutyches; and that the ones presiding over the synod were Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Thalassius of Caesarea, Eusebius of Ancyra in Galatia, Basil of Seleucia in Isauria, and Eustathius of Berytus; and that Dioscorus held all authority and power; and that Flavian of Constantinople and Eusebius of Dorylaeum were also present, yet that they should do or say nothing, as not holding the rank of judges but waiting for the votes of the others, since, he said, the things decided by them were now being judged D as if they were not acting in the role of judges, but waiting for the vote of the others.
3. The synod having therefore gathered, Flavian entered as a defendant, and he sat fifth. The representatives of Leo, the most holy Pope of Rome, Julius the bishop and Hilarius the deacon, bringing forward his dogmatic letter which had been sent to the synod, asked that it be read; but those around Dioscorus did not allow it. Eutyches having then been brought in, Dioscorus asked him whether he adhered to the synod of Nicaea and to the synod of Ephesus that was in agreement with it. And when he said that he did adhere, he did not examine him any further regarding the heresy, but spoke thus: Since Eutyches says that he adheres to the synod of Nicaea and to the Ephesine
A synod, we consider him orthodox, and worthy of the priesthood, of his rank, and of his own monastery. Having spoken these things, he saw to it that everyone—and Barsumas himself—should subscribe to the acquittal of Eutyches. Then he spoke again: "Since the synod at Nicaea and the former one here at Ephesus have established that it is permitted for no one to propound another faith, or to inquire, or to innovate anything, or in any way to stir up matters concerning our holy religion, and since Flavian of Constantinople and Eusebius of Doryleum appear to be the cause of scandal and disturbance for the churches, we judge them to be excluded from every priestly and episcopal B dignity." Having spoken these words, he forced the bishops to subscribe to an unwritten paper; and afterwards, having written the deposition of Flavian and Eusebius just as he wished, he subscribed to it himself, as did Barsumas. And when Flavian had said to Dioscorus, "I recuse you," he struck him with his heel, and by that mortal wound provided the beginning of his death; others, however, say that Barsumas, having taken him up in order to lead him into exile toward the regions of the East, ordered him to be slaughtered on the journey. Dioscorus also deposed Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Ibas of Edessa, and Domnus of Antioch, and others of the Orientals, all of whom were absent; and he ordained Maximus in place of Domnus. Eusebius of Doryleum, fleeing from there, came to Rome to Leo the Great in the regions C of Italy.
4. But in the meantime, since Theodosius had departed this life, Marcian and Pulcheria wrote to the most holy Leo; and it was decided that a synod be convened in Constantinople. Therefore, they gathered in the venerable temple of the holy martyr Euphemia at Chalcedon. From the most illustrious D officials: Anatolius, patrician from the consuls and commander-in-chief; Palladius, praetorian prefect; Tatianus, city prefect; Vicomallus, master of the divine offices; Martialis, master; Sporadius, count of the domestics; and Genethlius, count of the privy purse. And from the illustrious senators: Florentius, patrician from the prefects and consuls; a senator from the consuls and patricians; Protogenes, from the city prefects; Apollonius, from the prefects; Romanus, from the praepositi; and Olygius, from the prefects of Illyricum. These officials and senators having sat in the middle, in front of the chancel of the holy altar, the vicars of the Roman Pope, and Anatolius of Constantinople, and Maximus of Antioch, and Thalassius of Caesarea, and Stephanus of Ephesus, and the rest of the Eastern, Pontic, Asian, and Thracian dioceses, excluding the Palestinians, sat on the left side. On the right side were Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenalis of Jerusalem, Cyntillus the vicar for Anastasius of Thessalonica, Petrus of Corinth, and the rest from the Egyptian, Illyrian, and Palestinian [dioceses]. The vicars of the Roman Pope were the bishops Paschasinus and Lucinius, and the presbyter Bonifacius. Theodoret of Cyrrhus was also present. For there, having been held as a Nestorian on account of his having written against the twelve chapters of the blessed Cyril, he had been deposed by Dioscorus; but when he had approached Leo, the Pope of Rome, and had proclaimed his own faith, he was honored...
as orthodox. Having received letters from him to the Emperor Theodosius, he was ordered to be at leisure for this alone; but under Marcian, having offered petitions accusing those who had not righteously anathematized him as a heretic, he recovered his bishopric.
5. All having gathered, therefore, as has been said, the vicars of the Roman Pope, speaking first, opined that Dioscorus ought not to sit with the synod. But the magistrates having said that he ought not to be expelled from the assembly before he was condemned, Eusebius of Dorylaeum arose to accuse him; and thus, by order of the magistrates, Dioscorus was placed in the midst. B And at the insistence of Eusebius that his petition against Dioscorus, which had been handed to the Emperor, be read, the magistrates decided that he should be set in the midst and the petition read. It set forth how Dioscorus had non-canonically deposed Flavian and the other orthodox, while declaring the heretic Eutyches innocent. Then, the letter which had been sent by the Emperor Theodosius to Dioscorus was read; and since among other things it also made mention of Theodoret, decreeing that he should not come to the second synod held at Ephesus unless it pleased all who had gathered, the magistrates said, "Let Theodoret also enter to share in the synod, since the most holy Leo has restored his bishopric." And the most divine Emperor ordered him to be present.
C The magistrates discussed that he should enter for the time being in the capacity of an accuser, and be placed in the midst. Dioscorus was therefore accused by the vicars of the Roman Pope and by Eusebius, bishop of Dorylaeum, on the grounds that, having sworn seven times before everyone to read the letter of the most holy Pope Leo, he had not read it, and from this he is judged to be a perjurer; and that he had immediately brought forward the holy Flavian as one condemned, and did not even deem him worthy of a defense, but deposed him thus without a trial. Dioscorus, however, making his defense regarding these matters, said: "The Emperor did not entrust the judgment D to me alone, but also to Juvenal and Thalassius and the others, and the whole synod consented to the things decided." The Eastern bishops cried out: "No one consented; force was used; deposition was threatened against us; soldiers stood over us with clubs and swords; and forced by blows, we signed blank paper."
7. As Basil of Seleucia was rebuking Dioscorus somewhat more vehemently, and was opining rightly against Eutyches, the magistrates asked him: "Why, you who now think rightly, did you then sign the deposition of Flavian?" He, however, pleaded the violence applied by Dioscorus. When the latter said, "You ought not to have feared men in such a way that you incurred reproach and fell," he replied: "If I had stood before magistrates, I would have protested; but being judged by you as by a just father, I did not dare; for a son, he says, [fearing] a just father..."
A dies. Eusebius of Doryleum said that, while Flavian, who had deposed Eutyches, was being judged, it was not permitted for the accuser of Eutyches to enter the synod. And the presidents [asked] Dioscorus, as one accusing him of being a transgressor of the canons: "And you," they said, "transgress the canons by allowing Theodoret to enter the synod." They answered, "He has entered to accuse us." He said, "And why, then, does he sit as a bishop?" And the presidents replied, "It is well; Eusebius and Theodoret shall sit in the order of accusers, because you also sit in the order of the accused."
B 8. Post-factum, when those things which had been done at Constantinople by Flavian regarding the deposition of Eutyches, and those which had been transacted at Ephesus again by Dioscorus regarding the deposition of Flavian, had all been read; and when the right and true opinion was being sought, and Flavian was found to have said that Christ is from two natures and that there are two natures, while Dioscorus said that he accepted "from two natures" but did not accept "two natures," and that there were no two natures after the union, the presidents and the council said: "We understand that a more accurate examination of the right faith ought to be held on the following day; C but since Flavian and Eusebius, from the reading of those things which were done by them, and by the voice of certain authors of the deposition, are shown not to have erred in the faith, but to have been deposed without cause, it seems to us, according to the good pleasure of God, to be just if we certify our most divine Emperor that Dioscorus of Alexandria, Juvenal of Jerusalem, Thalassius of Caesarea, Eusebius of Ancyra, Eustathius of Berytus, and Basil of Seleucia, the authors of that synod, have been subject to the same penalty and have fallen from the episcopal dignity": [the assembly cried] "We have read it, we have read it." It should be known that when a sentence was finally pronounced by the presidents and transcribed by the ministering notaries, one of them was accustomed to subscribe it with that [word]: *legimus* (we have read), so that the sentence might be firm and no suspicion might arise that anything had been adulterated by the amanuenses. And such indeed was the end of the first act.
D Sequuntur in codice reliquarum actionum synodi summaria, quæ nos prætermittimus. [Summaries of the remaining acts of the synod follow in the codex, which we pass over.]
9. It is necessary to know that, after this holy synod deposed him who had been bishop of Alexandria, his supporters departed from the Catholic Church and named themselves "dissenters" because they did not adhere to the things decreed by the Fathers gathered at Chalcedon, and were divided into twelve sects, of which those who are called Eutychians accept Eutyches and Dioscorus, who also say that the Lord Christ is consubstantial with the Father, but not with us, because they do not believe that the truth of human nature is preserved in Christ; whereas those who...
are called A Acephali did not accept the Henoticon of the Emperor Zeno, because the Council of Chalcedon was not anathematized in it. They were called Acephali because they had no bishops; hence, their priests having failed, they do not even perform baptism according to the ecclesiastical canon, but on the feast of the holy Theophany they draw water and, keeping it, they baptize in it; nor do they perform the oblation. However, possessing communion preserved from earlier times, they distribute from it at the feast of Easter the tiniest portions to those who assemble.
10. Others are called Julianists, or Gaianites, who say that the body of the Lord Christ is indeed created, but incorruptible from the very moment of its incorruptible conception. Others say that by that assumption it is not only incorruptible, but also uncreated. Both are called Julianists from a certain Julian of Halicarnassus, the author of this doctrine; and Gaianites from Gaian, who became their pope at Alexandria and was a successor to Julian and a supporter of his dogmas; whom their opponents call Phantasiasts and Manichaeans. They, in turn, call their opponents Phtartolatras (worshippers of corruption) and Ctenolatras (worshippers of the slain). Then there are the Severians—also known as Agnoetae—who say that God the Word knows all things, but that the humanity personally united to Him is ignorant of many things; they were termed Agnoetae by their opponents because of this doctrine. There are other Severians, also called Contobabditae, who say that there is only one God in number C and not by an identical equality, asserting that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are the same. These were named Contobabditae by their opponents because in those parts of Constantinople which were called Contobabdon, they had a hateful conventicle, and those who held such views were accustomed to gather there. Now those who were called Contobabditae, who were also termed Agnoetae, were at first called Theodosians, as they accepted Theodosius who had become pope of Alexandria. But after being struck with anathema by him—the Agnoetae on account of their doctrine of ignorance, and the Contobabditae because they would not receive the doctrine concerning the Holy Trinity which had been set forth by him—they were thereafter no longer called Theodosians by their opponents, since they no longer received Theodosius, as has been said. But some [are called] Agnoetae from their doctrine, D and others Contobabditae, from their place. They indeed agree in their discourse concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as holding one doctrine, but they disagree regarding the doctrine of ignorance. Both parties, however, accept Severus, who became bishop of Antioch, and for that reason they are also called Severians.
11. Others are Severians, also called Theodosians and Paulianists, who accept the aforementioned Severus and Theodosius, and with them Paul, surnamed Melanus, who in their doctrine concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit agree with the Contobabditae, but they disagree