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JULIAN had clear information on these points, and did not make
known the impiety of his soul. With the object of attracting all the
bishops to acquiescence in his rule he ordered even those who had been
expelled from their churches by Constantius, and who were sojourning
on the furthest confines of the empire, to return to their own
churches. Accordingly, on the promulgation of this edict, back to
Antioch came the divine Meletius, and to Alexandria the far famed
Athanasius.
But Eusebius, and Hilarius of Italy and Lucifer who presided over
the flock in the island of Sardinia, were living in the Thebaid on
the frontier of Egypt, whither they had been relegated by
Constantius. They now met with the rest whose views were the same and
affirmed that the churches ought to be brought into harmony. For they
not only suffered from the assaults of their opponents, but were at
variance with one another. In Antioch the sound body of the church
had been split in two; at one and the same time they who from the
beginning, for the sake of the right worthy Eustathius, had separated
from the rest, were assembling by themselves; and they who with the
admirable Meletius had held aloof from the Arian faction were
performing divine service in what is called the Palaea. Both parties
used one confession of faith, for both parties were champions of the
doctrine laid down at Nicaea. All that separated them was their
mutual quarrel, and their regard for their respective leaders; and
even the death of one of these did not put a stop to the strife.
Eustathius died before the election of Meletius, and the orthodox
party, after the exile of Meletius and the election of Euzoius,
separated from the communion of the impious, and assembled by
themselves; with these, the party called Eustathians could not be
induced to unite. To effect an union between them the Eusebians and
Luciferians sought to discover a means. Accordingly Eusebius
besought Lucifer to repair to Alexandria and take counsel on the
matter with the great Athanasius, intending himself to undertake the
labour of bringing about a reconciliation.
Lucifer however did not go to Alexandria but repaired to Antioch.
There he urged many arguments in behalf of concord on both parties.
The Eustathians, led by Paulinus, a presbyter, persisted in
opposition. On seeing this Lucifer took the improper course of
consecrating Paulinus as their bishop.
This action on the part of Lucifer prolonged the feud, which lasted
for eighty five years, until the episcopate of the most praiseworthy
Alexander.
No sooner was the helm of the church at Antioch put into his hands
than he tried every expedient, and brought to bear great zeal and
energy for the promotion of concord, and thus joined the severed limb
to the rest of the body of the church. At the time in question however
Lucifer made the quarrel worse and spent a considerable time in
Antioch, and Eusebius when he arrived on the spot and learnt that bad
doctoring had made the malady very hard to heal, sailed away to the
West.
When Lucifer returned to Sardinia he made certain additions to the
dogmas of the church and those who accepted them were named after him,
and for a considerable time were called Luciferians. But in time the
flame of this dogma too went out and it was consigned to oblivion.
Such were the events that followed on the return of the bishops.
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