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THEOPHILUS kept his designs against John as secret as
possible; and wrote to the bishops of every city, condemning the books
of Origen. It also occurred to him that it would be advantageous to
enlist Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, on his side, a
man who was revered for his life, and was the most distinguished of his
contemporaries; and he therefore formed a friendship with him,
although he had formerly blamed him for asserting that God possessed a
human form. As if repentant of having ever entertained any other
sentiment, Theophilus wrote to Epiphanius to acquaint him that he now
held the same opinions as himself, and to move attacks against the
books of Origen, as the source of such nefarious dogmas. Epiphanius
had long regarded the writings of Origen with peculiar aversion, and
was therefore easily led to attach credit to the epistle of
Theophilus. He soon after assembled the bishops of Cyprus together,
and prohibited the examination of the books of Origen. He also wrote
to the other bishops, and, among others, to the bishop of
Constantinople, exhorting them to convene. Synods, and to make the
same decision. Theophilus, perceiving that there could be no l danger
in following the example of Epiphanius, who was the object of popular
praise, and who was admired for the virtue of his life, whatever his
opinion might be, passed a vote similar to that of Epiphanius, with
the concurrence of the bishops under his jurisdiction. John, on the
other hand, paid little attention to the letters of Epiphanius and
Theophilus. Those among the powerful and the clergy, who were
opposed to him, perceived that the designs of Theophilus tended to his
ejection from the bishopric, and therefore endeavored to procure the
convention of a council in Constantinople, in order to carry this
measure into execution. Theophilus, knowing this, exerted himself to
the utmost in convening this council. He commanded the bishops of
Egypt to repair by sea to Constantinople; he wrote to request
Epiphanius and the other Eastern bishops to proceed to that city with
as little delay as possible, and he himself set off on the journey
thither by land. Epiphanius was the first to sail from Cyprus; he
landed at Hebdomos, a suburb of Constantinople; and after having
prayed in the church erected at that place, he proceeded to enter the
city. In order to do him honor, John went out with all his clergy to
meet him. Epiphanius, however, evinced clearly by his conduct that
he believed the accusations against John; for, although invited to
reside in the ecclesiastical residences, he would not continue there,
and refused to meet with John in them. He also privately assembled
all the bishops who were residing in Constantinople, and showed them
the decrees which he had issued against the discourses of Origen. He
persuaded some of the bishops to approve of these decrees, while others
objected to them. Theotimus, bishop of Scythia, strongly opposed
the proceedings of Epiphanius, and told him that it was not right to
cast insult on the memory of one who had long been numbered with the
dead; nor was it without blasphemy to assail the conclusion to which
the ancients had arrived on the subject, and to set aside their
decisions. While discoursing in this strain, he drew forth a book of
Origen's which he had brought with him; and, after reading aloud a
passage conducive to the education of the Church, he remarked that
those who condemned such sentiments acted absurdly, for they were in
danger of insulting the subjects themselves about which these words
treated. John still had respect for Epiphanius, and invited him to
join in the meetings of his church, and to dwell with him. But
Epiphanius declared that he would neither reside with John nor pray
with him publicly, unless he would denounce the works of Origen and
expel Dioscorus and his companions. Not considering it just to act in
the manner proposed until judgment had been passed on the case, John
tried to postpone matters. When the assembly was about to be held in
the Church of the Apostles, those ill-disposed to John planned that
Epiphanius should go beforehand and publicly decry the books of Origen
to the people, and Dioscorus and his companions as the partisans of
this writer; and also to attack the bishop of the city as the abetter
of those heretics. And some concerned themselves in this; for by this
means it was supposed that the affections of the people would be
alienated from their bishop. The following day, when Epiphanius was
about entering the church, in order to carry his design into
execution, he was stopped by Serapion, at the command of John, who
had received intimation of the plot. Serapion proved to Epiphanius
that while the project he had devised was unjust in itself, it could be
of no personal advantage to him; for that if it should excite a popular
resurrection, he would be regarded as responsible for the outrages that
might follow. By these arguments Epiphanius was induced to relinquish
his attack.
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