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GREAT disturbances occurred in other cities also, as the Arians
were ejected from the churches. But I cannot sufficiently admire the
emperor's prudence in this contingency. For he was unwilling to fill
the cities with disturbance, as far as this was dependent on him, and
so after a very short time he called together a general conference of
the sects, thinking that by a discussion among their bishops, their
mutual differences might be adjusted, and unanimity established. And
this purpose of the emperor's I am persuaded was the reason that his
affairs were so prosperous at that time. In fact by a special
dispensation of Divine Providence the barbarous nations were reduced
to subjection under him: and among others, Athanaric king of the
Goths made a voluntary surrender of himself to him, with all his
people, and died soon after at Constantinople. At this juncture the
emperor proclaimed his son Arcadius Augustus, on the sixteenth of
January, in the second consulate of Merobaudes and Saturnilus. Not
long afterwards in the month of June, under the same consulate, the
bishops of every sect arrived from all places: the emperor,
therefore, sent for Nectarius the bishop, and consulted with him on
the best means of freeing the Christian religion from dissensions, and
reducing the church to a state of unity. 'The subjects of
controversy, said he, 'ought to be fairly discussed, that by the
detection and removal of the sources of discord, a universal agreement
may be effected.' Hearing this proposition Nectarius fell into
uneasiness, and communicated it to Agelius bishop of the Novatians,
inasmuch as he entertained the same sentiments as himself in matters of
faith. This man, though eminently pious, was by no means competent
to maintain a dispute on doctrinal points; he therefore proposed to
refer the subject to Sisinnius his reader, as a fit person to manage a
conference. Sisinnius, who was not only learned, but possessed of
great experience, and was well informed both in the expositions of the
sacred Scriptures and the principles of philosophy, being convinced
that disputations, far from healing divisions usually create heresies
of a more inveterate character, gave the following advice to
Nectarius, knowing well that the ancients have nowhere attributed a
beginning of existence to the Son of God, conceiving him to be
co-eternal with the Father, he advised that they should avoid
dialectic warfare and bring forward as evidences of the truth the
testimonies of the ancients. 'Let the emperor,' said he, 'demand
of the heads of each sect, whether they would pay any deference to the
ancients who flourished before schism distracted the church; or whether
they would repudiate them, as alienated from the Christian faith? If
they reject their authority, then let them also anathematize them: and
should they presume to take such a step, they would themselves be
instantly thrust out by the people, and so the truth will be manifestly
victorious. But if, on the other hand, they are not willing to set
aside the fathers, it will then be our business to produce their
books, by which our views will be fully attested.' Nectarius having
heard these words of Sisinnius, hastened to the palace, and
acquainted the emperor with the plan which had been suggested to him;
who at once perceiving its wisdom and propriety, carried it into
execution with consummate prudence. For without discovering his
object, he simply asked the chiefs of the heretics whether they had any
respect for and would accept the teachings of those teachers who lived
previous to the dissension in the church? As they did not repudiate
them, but replied that they highly revered them as their masters; the
emperor enquired of them again whether they would defer to them as
accredited witnesses of Christian doctrine? At this question, the
leaders of the several parties, with their logical champions, -- for
many had come prepared for sophistical debate, -- found themselves
extremely embarrassed. For a division was caused among them as some
acquiesced in the reasonableness of the emperor's proposition while
others shrunk from it, conscious that it was by no means favorable to
their interests: so that all being variously affected towards the
writings of the ancients, they could no longer agree among themselves,
dissenting not only from other sects, but those of the same sect
differing from one another. Accordant malice therefore, like the
tongue of the giants of old, was confounded, and their tower of
mischief overturned. The emperor perceiving by their confusion that
their sole confidence was in subtle arguments, and that they feared to
appeal to the expositions of the fathers, bad recourse to another
method: he commanded every sect to set forth in writing their own
peculiar tenets. Accordingly those who were accounted the most
skillful among them, drew up a statement of their respective creeds,
couched in terms the most circumspect they could devise; a day was
appointed, and the bishops selected for this purpose presented
themselves at the palace. Nectarius and Agelius appeared as the
defenders of the 'homoousian' faith; Demophilus supported the Arian
dogma; Eunomius himself undertook the cause of the Eunomians; and
Eleusius, bishop of Cyzicus, represented the opinions of those who
were denominated Macedonians. The emperor gave them all a courteous
reception; and receiving from each their written avowal of faith, he
shut himself up alone, and prayed very earnestly that God would assist
him in his endeavors to ascertain the truth. Then perusing with great
care the statement which each had submitted to him, he condemned all
the rest, inasmuch as they introduced a separation of the Trinity,
and approved of that only which contained the doctrine of the
homoousion. This decision caused the Novatians to flourish again,
and hold their meetings within the city: for the emperor delighted with
the agreement of their profession with that which he embraced,
promulgated a law securing to them the peaceful possession of their own
church buildings, and assigned to their churches equal privileges with
those to which he gave his more especial sanction. But the bishops of
the other sects, on account of their disagreement among themselves,
were despised and censured even by their own followers: so that
overwhelmed with perplexity and vexation they departed, addressing
consolatory letters to their adherents, whom they exhorted not to be
troubled because many had deserted them and gone over to the homoousian
party; for they said, 'Many are called, but few chosen' -- an
expression which they never used when on account of force and terror the
majority of the people was on their side. Nevertheless the orthodox
believers were not wholly exempt from inquietude; for the affairs of
the Antiochian church caused divisions among those who were present at
the Synod. The bishops of Egypt, Arabia and Cyprus, combined
against Flavian, and insisted on his expulsion from Antioch: but
those of Palestine, Phoenicia, and Syria, contended with equal
zeal in his favor. What result issued from this contest I shall
describe in its proper place.
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