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The bishops of the Arian party began to assume greater assurance from
the imperial edicts. In what manner they undertook to convene a
Synod, we will explain somewhat later. Let us now briefly mention a
few of their previous acts. Acacius and Patrophilus having ejected
Maximus, bishop of Jerusalem, installed Cyril in his see.
Macedonius subverted the order of things in the cities and provinces
adjacent to Constantinople, promoting to ecclesiastical honors his
assistants in his intrigues against the churches.
He ordained Eleusius bishop of Cyzicus, and Marathonius, bishop of
Nicomedia: the latter had before been a deacon under Macedonius
himself, and proved very active in founding monasteries both of men and
women. But we must now mention in what way Macedonius desolated the
churches in the cities and provinces around Constantinople. This
man, as I have already said, having seized the bishopric, inflicted
innumerable calamities on such as were unwilling to adopt his views.
His persecutions were not confined to those who were recognized as
members of the Catholic Church, but extended to the Novatians also,
inasmuch as he knew that they maintained the doctrine of the
homoousion; they therefore with the others underwent the most
intolerable sufferings, but their bishop, Angelius by name, effected
his escape by flight. Many persons eminent for their piety were seized
and tortured, because they refused to communicate with him: and after
the torture, they forcibly constrained the men to be partakers of the
holy mysteries, their mouths being forced open with a piece of wood,
and then the consecrated elements thrust into them. Those who were so
treated regarded this as a punishment far more grievous than all
others. Moreover they laid hold of women and children, and compelled
them to be initiated [by baptism]; and if any one resisted or
otherwise spoke against it, stripes immediately followed, and after
the stripes, bonds and imprisonment, and other violent measures. I
shall here relate an instance or two whereby the reader may form some
idea of the extent of the harshness and cruelty exercised by Macedonius
and those who were then in power. They first pressed in a box, and
then sawed off, the breasts of such women as were unwilling to
communi-care with them. The same parts of the persons. of other
women they burnt partly with iron, and partly with eggs intensely
heated in the fire. This mode of torture which was unknown even among
the heathen, was invented by those who professed to be Christians.
These facts were related to me by the aged Auxanon, the presbyter in
the Novatian church of whom I spoke in the first book? He said also
that he had himself endured not a few severities from the Arians,
prior to his reaching the dignity of presbyter; having been thrown into
prison and beaten with many stripes, together with Alexander the
Paphlagonian, his companion in the monastic life. He added that he
had himself been able to sustain these tortures, but that Alexander
died in prison from the effects of their infliction. He is now buried
on the right of those sailing into the bay of Constantinople which is
called Ceras, close by the rivers, where there is a church of the
Novatians named after Alexander. Moreover the Arians, at the
instigation of Macedonius, demolished with many other churches in
various cities, that of the Novatians at Constantinople near
Pelargus. Why I particularly mention this church, will be seen from
the extraordinary circumstances connected with it, as testified by the
same aged Auxanon. The emperor's edict and the violence of
Macedonius had doomed to destruction the churches of those who
maintained the doctrine of consubstantiality; the decree and violence
reached this church, and those also who were charged with the execution
of the mandate were at hand to carry it into effect. I cannot but
admire the zeal displayed by the Novatians on this occasion, as well
as the sympathy they experienced from those whom the Arians at that
time ejected, but who are now in peaceful possession of their
churches. For when the emissaries of their enemies were urgent to
accomplish its destruction, an immense multitude of Novatians, aided
by numbers of others who held similar sentiments, having assembled
around this devoted church, pulled it down, and conveyed the materials
of it to another place: this place stands opposite the city, and is
called Syc , and forms the thirteenth ward of the town of
Constantinople. This removal was effected in a very short time, from
the extraordinary ardor of the numerous persons engaged in it: one
carried tiles, another stones, a third timber; some loading
themselves with one thing, and some with another. Even women and
children assisted in the work, regarding it as the realization of their
best wishes, and esteeming it the greatest honor to be accounted the
faithful guardians of things consecrated to God. In this way at that
time was the church of the Novatians transported to Syc . Long
afterwards when Constantius was dead, the emperor Julian ordered its
former site to be restored, and permitted them to rebuild it there.
The people therefore, as before, having carried back the materials,
reared the church in its former position; and from this circumstance,
and its great improvement in structure and ornament, they not
inappropriately called it Anastasia. The church as we before said was
restored afterwards in the reign of Julian. But at that time both the
Catholics and the Novatians were alike subjected to persecution: for
the former abominated offering their devotions in those churches in
which the Arians assembled, but frequented the other three --for
this is the number of the churches which the Novatians have in the city
-- and engaged in divine service with them. Indeed they would have
been wholly united, had not the Novatians refused from regard to their
ancient precepts. In other respects however, they mutually maintained
such a degree of cordiality and affection, as to be ready to lay down
their lives for one another: both parties were therefore persecuted
indiscriminately, not only at Constantinople, but also in other
provinces and cities. At Cyzicus, Eleusius, the bishop of that
place, perpetrated the same kind of enormities against the Christians
there, as Macedonius had done elsewhere, harassing and putting them
to flight in all directions and [among other things] he completely
demolished the church of the Novatians at Cyzicus. But Macedonius
consummated his wickedness in the following manner. Hearing that there
was a great number of the Novatian sect in the province of
Paphlagonia, and especially at Mantinium, and perceiving that such a
numerous body could not be driven from their homes by ecclesiastics
alone, he caused, by the emperor's permission, four companies of
soldiers to be sent into Paphlagonia, that through dread of the
military they might receive the Arian opinion. But those who
inhabited Mantinium, animated to desperation by zeal for their
religion, armed themselves with long reap-hooks, hatchets, and
whatever weapon came to hand, and went forth to meet the troops; on
which a conflict ensuing, many indeed of the Paphlagonians were
slain, but nearly all the soldiers were destroyed. I learnt these
things from a Paphlagonian peasant who said that he was present at the
engagement; and many others of that province corroborate this account.
Such were the exploits of Macedonius on behalf of Christianity,
consisting of murders, battles, incarcerations, and civil wars:
proceedings which rendered him odious not only to the objects of his
persecution, but even to his own party. He became obnoxious also to
the emperor on these accounts, and particularly so from the
circumstance I am about to relate. The church where the coffin lay
that contained the relics of the emperor Constantine threatened to
fall. On this account those that entered, as well as those who were
accustomed to remain there for devotional purposes, were in much fear.
Macedonius, therefore, wished to remove the emperor's remains, test
the coffin should be injured by the ruins. The populace getting
intelligence of this, endeavored to prevent it, insisting 'that the
emperor's bones should not be disturbed, as such a disinterment would
be equivalent, to their being dug up': many however affirmed that its
removal could not possibly injure the dead body, and thus two parties
were formed on this question; such as held the doctrine of
consubstantiality joining with those who opposed it on the ground of its
impiety. Macedonius, in total disregard of these prejudices, caused
the emperor's remains to be trans- ported to the church where those of
the martyr Acacius lay. Whereupon a vast multitude rushed toward that
edifice in two hostile divisions, which attacked one another with great
fury, and great loss of life was occasioned, so that the churchyard
was covered with gore, and the well also which was in it overflowed
with blood, which ran into the adjacent portico, and thence even into
the very street. When the emperor was informed of this unfortunate
occurrence, he was highly incensed against Macedonius, both on
account of the slaughter which he had occasioned, and because he had
dared to move his father's body without consulting him. Having
therefore left the Caesar Julian to take care of the western parts,
he himself set out for the east. How Macedonius was a short time
afterwards deposed, and thus suffered a most inadequate punishment for
his infamous crimes, I shall hereafter relate.
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