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MEANWHILE the state of the church was by no means tranquil;
for the heads of the sects assiduously paid their court to the emperor
their king that protection for themselves meant also power against their
acknowledged opponents. And first the Macedonians presented a
petition to him, in which they begged that all those who asserted the
Son to be unlike the Father, might be expelled from the churches,
and themselves allowed to take their place. This supplication was
presented by Basil bishop of Ancyra, Silvanus of Tarsus,
Sophronius of Pompeiopolis, Pasinicus of Zelae, Leontius of
Comana, Calli-crates of Claudiopolis, and Theophilus of
Castabala. The emperor having perused it, dismissed them without any
other answer than this: 'I abominate contentiousness; but I love
and honor those who exert themselves to promote unanimity.' When this
remark became generally known, it subdued the violence of those who
were desirous of altercation and thus was realized in the design of the
emperor. At this time the real spirit of the Acacian sect, and their
readiness to accommodate their opinions to those invested with supreme
authority, became more conspicuous than ever. For assembling
themselves at Antioch in Syria, they entered into a conference with
Melitius, who had separated from them a little before, and embraced
the 'homoousian' opinion. This they did because they saw Melitius
was in high estimation with the emperor, who then resided at Antioch;
and assenting therefore by common consent, they drew up a declaration
of their sentiments acknowledging the homoousion and ratifying the
Nicene Creed and presented it to the emperor. It was expressed in
the following terms.
'The Synod of bishops convened at Antioch out of various provinces,
to the most pious and beloved of God, our lord Jovian Victor
Augustus.
'That your piety has above all things aimed at establishing the peace
and harmony of the church, we ourselves, most devout emperor, are
fully aware. Nor are we insensible that you have wisely judged an
acknowledgment of the orthodox faith to be the sum and substance of this
unity. Wherefore lest we should be included in the number of those who
adulterate the doctrine of the truth, we hereby declare to your piety
that we embrace and steadfastly hold the faith of the holy Synod
formerly convened at Nicaea. Especially since the term homoousios,
which to some seems novel and inappropriate, has been judiciously
explained by the fathers to denote that the Son was begotten of the
Father's substance, and that he is like the Father as to substance.
Not indeed that any passion is to be understood in relation to that
ineffable generation. Nor is the term ousia, "substance," taken by
the fathers in any usual signification of it among the Greeks; but it
has been employed for the subversion of what Arius impiously dared to
assert concerning Christ, viz. -- that he was made of things "not
existing." Which heresy the Anomoeans, who have lately sprung up,
still more audaciously maintain, to the utter destruction of
ecclesiastical unity. We have therefore annexed to this our
declaration, a copy of the faith set forth by the bishops assembled at
Nicaea, with which also we are fully satisfied. It is this: "We
believe in one God the Father Almighty," and all the rest of the
Creed in full. We, the undersigned, in presenting this statement,
most cordially assent to its contents. Melitius bishop of Antioch,
Eusebius of Samosata, Evagrius of Sicily, Uranius of Apamaea,
Zoilus of Larissa, Acacius of Caesarea, Antipater of Rhosus,
Abramius of Urimi, Aristonicus of Seleucia-upon-Belus,
Barlamenus of Pergamus, Uranius of Melitina, Magnus of
Chalcedon, Eutychius of Eleutheropolis, Isacocis of Armenia
Major, Titus of Bostra, Peter of Sippi, Pelagius of
Laodicaea, Arabian of Antros, Piso of Adana through Lamydrion a
presbyter, Sabinian bishop of Zeugma, Athanasius of Ancyra through
Orphitus and Aetius presbyters, Irenion bishop of Gaza, Piso of
Augusta, Patricius of Paltus through Lamyrion a presbyter,
Anatolius bishop of Beroea, Theotimus of the Arabs, and Lucian of
Arca.'
This declaration we found recorded in that work of Sabinus, entitled
A Collection of the Acts of Synods. Now the emperor had resolved
to allay if possible the contentious spirit of the parties at variance,
by bland manners and persuasive language toward them alI; declaring
that he 'would not molest any one on account of his religious
sentiments, and that he should love and highly esteem such as would
zealously promote the unity of the church.' The philosopher
Themistius attests that such was his conduct, in the oration he
composed on his 'consulate.' For he extols the emperor for his
overcoming the wiles of flatterers by freely permitting every one to
worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. And in
allusion to the check which the sycophants received, he facetiously
observes that experience has made it evident that such persons 'worship
the purple and not God; and resemble the changeful Euripus, which
sometimes rolls its waves in one direction. and at others the very
opposite way.'
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