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But since some parties by appealing to a prohibition in the
ecclesiastical canon, prevented the election of Proclus, because of
his previous appointment to the see of Cyzicus, I wish to make a few
remarks on this subject. Those who then presumed to interpose such a
cause of exclusion do not appear to me to have stated the truth; but
they were either influenced by prejudice against Proclus, or at least
have been themselves completely ignorant both of the canons, and of the
frequent and often advantageous precedents that had been established in
the churches. Eusebius Pamphilus relates in the sixth book of his
Ecclesiastical History, that Alexander bishop of a certain city in
Cappadocia, coming to Jerusalem for devotional purposes, was
detained by the inhabitants of that city, and constituted bishop, as
the successor of Narcissus; and that he continued to preside over the
churches there during the remainder of his life. So indifferent a
thing was it amongst our ancestors, to transfer a bishop from one city
to another as often as it was deemed expedient. But if it is necessary
to place beyond a doubt the falsehood of the statement of those who
prevented the ordination of Proclus, I shall annex to this treatise
the canon bearing on the subject. It runs thus:
'If any one after having been ordained a bishop should not proceed to
the church unto which he has been appointed, from no fault on his
part, but either because the people are unwilling to receive him, or
for some other reason arising from necessity, let him be partaker of
the honor and functions of the rank with which he has been invested,
provided he intermeddles not with the affairs of the church wherein he
may minister. It is his duty however to submit to whatever the Synod
of the province may see fit to determine, after it shall have taken
cognizance of the matter.'
Such is the language of the canon. That many bishops have been
transferred from one city to another to meet the exigences of peculiar
cases, I shall now prove by giving the names of those bishops who have
been so translated? Perigenes was ordained bishop of Patrae: but
inasmuch as the inhabitants of that city refused to admit him, the
bishop of Rome directed that he should be assigned to the metropolitan
see of Corinth, which had become vacant by the decease of its former
bishop; here he presided during the rest of his days. Gregory was
first made bishop of Sasima, one of the cities of Cappadocia, but
was afterwards transferred to Nazianzus. Melitius after having
presided over the church at Sebastia, subsequently governed that of
Antioch. Alexander bishop of Antioch transferred Dositheus bishop
of Seleucia, to Tarsus in Cilicia. Reverentius was removed from
Area in Phoenicia, and afterwards to Tyre. John was transferred
from Gordum a city of Lydia, to Proconnesus, and presided over the
church there. Palladius was transferred from Helenopolis to Aspuna;
and Alexander from the same, city to Adriani. Theophilus was
removed from Apamea in Asia, to Eudoxiopolis anciently called
Salambria. Polycarp was transferred from Sexantaprista a city of
Mysia, to Nicopolis in Thrace. Hierophilus from Trapezopolis in
Phrygia to Plotinopolis in Thrace. Optimus from Agdamia in
Phrygia to Antioch in Pisidia; and Silvanus from Philippopolis in
Thrace to Troas. This enumeration of bishops who have passed from
one see to another is sufficient for the present; concerning Silvanus
who was removed from Philippopolis in Thrace to Troas I deem it
desirable here to give a concise account.
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