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But dissensions arose among the Arians also on this account. The
contentious questions which were daily agitated among them, led them to
start the most absurd propositions. For whereas it has been always
believed in the church that God is the Father of the Son, the
Word, it was asked whether God could be called 'Father' before the
Son had subsistence? Thus in asserting that the Word of God was not
begotten of the Father, but was created out 'of nothing,' and thus
failing into error on the chief and main point, they deservedly fell
into absurd cavilings about a mere name. Dorotheus therefore being
sent for by them from Antioch maintained that God neither was nor
could be called Father before the Son existed. But Marinus whom
they had summoned out of Thrace before Dorotheus, piqued at the
superior deference which was paid to his rival, undertook to defend the
contrary opinion. In consequence of these things there arose a schism
among them, and being thus divided respecting this term, each party
held separate meetings. Those under Dorotheus retained their original
places of assembly: but the followers of Marinus built distinct
oratories for themselves, and asserted that the Father had always been
Father, even when the Son was not. This section of the Arians was
denominated Psathyrians, because one of the most zealous defenders of
this opinion was Theoctistus, a Syrian by birth, and a cake-seller
[Psathyropola] by trade. Selenas bishop of the Goths adopted the
views of this party, a man of mixed descent; he was a Goth by his
father's side, but by his mother's a Phrygian, by which means he
taught in the church with great readiness in both these languages.
This faction however soon quarreled among themselves, Marinus
disagreeing with Agapius, whom he himself had preferred to the
bishopric of Ephesus. They disputed, however, not about any point
of religion, but in narrow-mindedness about precedence, in which the
Goths sided with Agapius. Wherefore many of the ecclesiastics under
their jurisdiction, abominating the vain-glorious contest between
these two, abandoned them both, and became adherents to the
'homoousian' faith. The Arians having continued thus divided among
themselves during the space of thirty-five years, were reunited in the
reign of Theodosius the Younger, under the consulate of Plintha the
commander-in-chief of the army, he being a member of the sect of
Psathyrians; these were prevailed on to desist from contention. They
afterwards passed a resolution, giving it all the cogency of law, that
the question which had led to their separation, should never be mooted
again. But this reconciliation extended no farther than
Constantinople; for in other cities where any of these two parties
were found, they persisted in their former separation. So much
respecting the division among the Arians.
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