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WHEN the Emperor Constantius, who then held his court at
Antioch, heard that Paul had again obtained possession of the
episcopal throne, he was excessively enraged at his presumption. He
therefore despatched a written order to Philip, the Praetorian
Prefect, whose power exceeded that of the other governors of
provinces, and who was styled the second person from the emperor, to
drive Paul out of the church again, and introduce Macedonius into it
in his place. Now the prefect Philip, dreading an insurrectionary
movement among the people, used artifice to entrap the bishop:
keeping, therefore, the emperor's mandate secret, he went to the
public bath called Zeuxippus, and on pretense of attending to some
public affairs, sent to Paul with every demonstration of respect,
requesting his attendance there, on the ground that his presence was
indispensable. The bishop came; and as he came in obedience to this
summons, the prefect immediately showed him the emperor's order; the
bishop patiently submitted condemnation without a hearing. But as
Philip was afraid of the violence of the multitude--for great numbers
had gathered around the building to see what would take place, for
their suspicions had been aroused by current reports --he commanded
one of the bath doors to be opened which communicated with the imperial
palace, and through that Paul was carried off, put on board a vessel
provided for the purpose, and so sent into exile immediately. The
prefect directed him to go to Thessalonica, the metropolis of
Macedonia, whence he had derived his origin from his ancestors;
commanding him to reside in that city, but granting him permission to
visit other cities of Illyricum, while he strictly forbade his passing
into any portion of the Eastern empire. Thus was Paul, contrary to
his expectation, at once expelled from the church, and from the city,
and again hurried off into exile. Philip, the imperial pre-feet,
leaving the bath, immediately proceeded to the church. Together with
him, as if thrown there by an engine, Macedonius rode seated in the
same seat with the prefect in the chariot seen by everybody, and a
military guard with drawn swords was about them. The multitude was
completely overawed by this spectacle, and both Arians and
Homoousians hastened to the church, every one endeavoring to secure an
entrance there. As the prefect with Macedonius came near the church,
an irrational panic seized the multitude and even the soldiers
themselves; for as the assemblage was so numerous and no room to admit
the passage of the prefect and Macedonius was found, the soldiers
attempted to thrust aside the people by force. But the confined space
into which they were crowded t together rendering it impossible to
recede, the c soldiers imagined that resistance was offered, and that
the populace intentionally stopped the e passage; they accordingly
began to use their s naked swords, and to cut down those that stood in
their way. It is affirmed that about 3150 persons were massacred
on this occasion; of whom the greater part fell under the weapons of
the soldiers, and the rest were crushed to c death by the desperate
efforts of the multitude a to escape their violence. After such
distinguished achievements, Macedonius, as if be had not been the
author of any calamity, but was altogether guiltless of what had been
perpetrated, was seated in the episcopal chair by the prefect, rather
than by the ecclesiastical canon. Thus, then, by means of so many
murders in the church, Macedonius and the Arians grasped the
supremacy in the churches. About this period the emperor built the
great church called Sophia, adjoining to that named Irene, which
being originally of small dimensions, the emperor's father had
considerably enlarged and adorned. In the present day both are seen
within one enclosure, and have but one appellation.
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