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AFTER the return of Athanasius, Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari in
Sardinia, and Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli, a city of Liguria in
Italy, returned from the upper Thebais. They had been condemned by
Constantius to perpetual exile in that country. For the regulation
and general systematizing of ecclesiastical affairs, Eusebius came to
Alexandria, and there, in concert with Athanasius, to hold a
council for the purpose of confirming the Nicene doctrines.
Lucifer sent a deacon with Eusebius to take his place in the council,
and went himself to Antioch, to visit the church there in its
disturbances.
A schism had been excited by the Arians then under the guidance of
Euzoius, and by the followers of Meletius, who, as I have above
stated, were at variance even with those who held the same opinions as
themselves. As Meletius had not then returned from exile, Lucifer
ordained Paulinus bishop.
In the meantime, the bishops of many cities had assembled in
Alexandria with Athanasius and Eusebius, and had confirmed the
Nicene doctrines. They confessed that the Holy Ghost is of the same
substance as the Father and the Son, and they made use of the term
"Trinity."
They declared that the human nature assumed by God the Word is to be
regarded as consisting of not a perfect body only, but also of a
perfect soul, even as was taught by the ancient Church philosophers.
As the Church had been agitated by questions concerning the terms
"substance" and "hypostasis," and the contentions and disputes
about these words had been frequent, they decreed, and, as I think,
wisely, that these terms should not henceforth at the beginning be used
in reference to God, except in refutation of the Sabellian tenet;
lest from the paucity of terms, one and the same thing might appear to
be called by three names; but that one might understand each by its
peculiar term in a threefold way.
These were the decrees passed by the bishops convened at Alexandria.
Athanasius read in the council the document about his flight which he
had written in order to justify himself.
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