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The emperor making no delay summoned a Synod of the prelates of his
own faith, in order that he might establish the Nicene Creed, and
appoint a bishop of Constantinople: and inasmuch as he was not without
hope that he might win the Macedonians over to his own views, he
invited those who presided over that sect to be present also. There
met therefore on this occasion of the Homoousian party, Timothy from
Alexandria, Cyril from Jerusalem, who at that time recognized the
doctrine of homoousion, having retracted his former opinion; Melitius
from Antioch, he having arrived there previously to assist at the
installation of Gregory; Ascholius also from Thessalonica, and many
others, amounting in all to one hundred and fifty. Of the
Macedonians, the leaders were Eleusius of Cyzicus, and Marcian of
Lampsacus; these with the rest, most of whom came from the cities of
the Hellespont, were thirty-six in number. Accordingly they were
assembled in the month of May, under the consulate of Eucharius and
Evagrius, and the emperor used his utmost exertions, in conjunction
with the bishops who entertained similar sentiments to his own, to
bring over Eleusius and his adherents to his own side. They were
reminded of the deputation they had sent by Eustathius to Liberius
then bishop of Rome; that they had of their own accord not long before
entered into promiscuous communion with the orthodox; and the
inconsistency and fickleness of their conduct was represented to them,
in now at tempting to subvert the faith which they once acknowledged,
and professed agreement with the Catholics in. But they paying little
heed alike to admonitions and reproofs, chose rather to maintain the
Arian dogma, than to assent to the 'homoousian' doctrine. Having
made this declaration, they departed from Constantinople; moreover
they wrote to their partisans in every city, and charged them by no
means to harmonize with the creed of the Nicene Synod. The bishops
of the other party remaining at Constantinople, entered into a
consultation about the ordination of a bishop; for Gregory, as we
have before said, had resigned that see, and was preparing to return
to Nazianzus. Now there was a person named Nectarius, of a
senatorial family, mild and gentle in his manners, and admirable in
his whole course of life, although he at that time bore the office of
proctor. This man was seized upon by the people, and elected to the
episcopate, and was ordained accordingly by one hundred and fifty
bishops then present. The same prelates moreover published a decree,
prescribing 'that the bishop of Constantinople should have the next
prerogative of honor after the bishop of Rome, because that city was
New Rome.' They also again confirmed the Nicene Creed. Then too
patriarchs were constituted, and the provinces distributed, so that no
bishop might exercise any jurisdiction over other churches out of his
own diocese: for this had been often indiscriminately done before, in
consequence of the persecutions. To Nectarius therefore was allotted
the great city and Thrace. Helladius, the successor of Basil in the
bishopric of Caesarea in Cappadocia, obtained the patriarchate of the
diocese of Pontus in conjunction with Gregory Basil's brother bishop
of Nyssa in Cappadocia, and Otreius bishop of Melitina in
Armenia. To Amphilochius of Iconium and Optimus of Antioch in
Pisidia, was the Asiatic diocese assigned. The superintendence of
the churches throughout Egypt was committed to Timothy of
Alexandria. On Pelagius of Laodicea, and Diodorus of Tarsus,
devolved the administration of the churches of the East; without
infringement however on the prerogatives of honor reserved to the
Antiochian church, and conferred on Melitius then present. They
further decreed that as necessity required it, the ecclesiastical
affairs of each province should be managed by a Synod of the province.
These arrangements were confirmed by the emperor's approbation. Such
was the result of this Synod.
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