Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

he persisted in his arguments. And "what is wrong with you," he said, "that you heap frequent insults upon me, who was born and raised among Romans and from Romans, and then shun me, while you receive with praise a man born and raised among the Italians—and not only that, but one who has infiltrated our ways with his very robes and tongue? But if you speak on account of doctrines, let the emperor summon me, and let him hear my belief with all gathered, and if I seem to be of wrong belief, with prudent and pious men and the scriptures judging; but if not, why then, following the words of ignorant and vulgar men, do you attach the worst things to me?" These things Bekkos said openly, and it was clear he also wanted them to be reported to the emperor. Which indeed happened not long after. For he was brought down for a common examination, and having disembarked from the ship, he stopped at the monastery of Kosmidion, and a day was set for the discussion, and a synod of holy men took place, with the emperor himself present, in the Alexian triclinium. The reigning patriarch Gregory was present, and Athanasios of Alexandria was also present, being ill in body, bedridden and on a pallet. 90 The whole assembly of hierarchs was also present. There were also very many of the churchmen and monks, and the most eminent of the laity. The emperor presided over them, and around him were all the magnates and the entire eminent body of the senate. And the Grand Logothete was also there, the first among those gathered, having undertaken the direction of the discussion together with the patriarch. In addition to these was the rhetor of the church, who also began the dialogues.

(35) And "Why," he said, "you there, when the ink is not yet dry on your own words in which you confessed to have been in error and asked for pardon and made a recantation, do you today take back what you confessed and insist that you are being wronged, so that such and so great a synod as this has been convened?" "Because," he said, "having spoken the words of the fathers and being called to account for them, knowing that one time was for their explication and another was the one then present, wishing only to be at peace, we did all these things, but not, however, so that those who wish could take us to task and attach to us the charge of heresy." And the patriarch Gregory, taking up the discourse, said, "And what is the opinion of those with you?" For with him were also the former archdeacons, Constantine Meliteniotes 91 and George Metochites. And they said, "If you wish to learn our theology simply, and the doctrine which we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth, it is that which everyone theologizes, and in which we will remain until our very last breath. But if you also seek that of the fathers, which we say is not contrary to the symbol of faith, but rather an explication and clarification of what is laid down in the symbol, we find in the scriptures that the Holy Spirit is supplied, given, sent forth, proceeding from the Father through the Son, and in some places among some of the fathers, also proceeding. And the great John of Damascus also says 'projector 20through the Word of the manifesting Spirit'.20 And we understand 'projector' as the same as 'cause'. Therefore we do not say the Son is the cause of the procession of the Spirit from the Father, nor a co-cause, but we both anathematize and reject the one who says so. But we say the Father is the cause of the Spirit through the Son, since 'projector' is understood as 'cause'." "And how," said the Grand Logothete, "do you not make the Son a cause of the procession of the Spirit from the Father, since you confess the Father is the cause of the Spirit 'through the Word'? For you show by what you say that the Father would not have projected the Spirit if He had not begotten the Son. And this is a manifested cause." But they, wishing to escape the suspected absurdity, said that many things are said in theology 92 which, when the great things are weighed by small reason, reveal something to lowly minds that is altogether absurd and not fitting for God. "Do we not say the Father is perfect God, and the Son is perfect God, and the Holy Spirit is perfect God? Is not tritheism suspected in the com

τοῖς λόγοις ἐπεῖχε. καὶ "τί παθόντες" ἔλεγεν "ἐμὲ μὲν τὸν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ ἐκ Ῥωμαίων γεννηθέντα τε καὶ τραφέντα συχναῖς περιβάλλοντες λοι δορίαις ἔπειτα φεύγετε, ἄνδρα δὲ παρ' Ἰταλοῖς γεννηθέντα τε καὶ τραφέντα, καὶ οὔπω ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταῖς στολαῖς καὶ γλώτ τῃ πρὸς τὰ ἡμέτερα παρεισφρήσαντα, εὐφημοῦντες δέχεσθε; εἰ δὲ δογμάτων ἕνεκα λέγετε, βασιλεὺς προσκαλείτω, καὶ συναχθέν των ἁπάντων ἀκουέτω τὸ φρόνημα, κἂν δόξω κακῶς φρονῶν, ξυνετῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῶν γραφῶν κρινόντων καὶ εὐλαβῶν· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τί λόγοις ἀμαθῶν καὶ βαναύσων ἑπόμενοι ἐμοὶ τὰ χείριστα περιάπτετε;" ταῦτ' ἔλεγε Βέκκος ἀναφανδόν, καὶ δῆ λος ἦν θέλων καὶ βασιλεῖ προσαγγέλλεσθαι. ὃ δὴ καὶ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐγεγόνει. κοινῇ τε γὰρ σκέψει κατάγεται, καὶ τῇ μονῇ τοῦ Κοσμιδίου προσίσχει τῆς νηὸς ἀποβάς, ὥριστό τε ἡμέρα τῆς διαλέξεως, καὶ σύνοδος ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν, παρόντος καὶ αὐτοῦ βα σιλέως, ἀνὰ τὸν Ἀλεξιακὸν τρίκλινον γίνεται. παρῆν μὲν οὖν ὁ πατριαρχεύων Γρηγόριος, παρῆν δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀλεξανδρείας Ἀθανάσιος, ἀρρώστως ἔχων τοῦ σώματος κλινοπετής τε καὶ ἐπὶ σκίμ 90 ποδος. συνῆν δὲ καὶ πᾶσα τῶν ἀρχιερέων ὁμήγυρις. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ μοναχοὶ πλεῖστοι, καὶ τῶν λαϊκῶν οἱ ἐλλόγιμοι. ἐφ' οἷς προυκάθητο βασιλεύς, καὶ ἀμφ' ἐκεῖνον ἦσαν ὅσοι τε τῶν μεγιστάνων καὶ τὸ τῆς συγκλήτου ἅπαν περι φανές. ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας λογοθέτης, τὰ πρῶτα τῶν συνει λεγμένων, συνάμα πατριάρχῃ ἀναδεξάμενος τὰ τῆς διαλέξεως. ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ῥήτωρ, ὃς δὴ καὶ τῶν διαλόγων κατήρχετο.

(35) καὶ "ἵνα τί" φησίν, "ὦ οὗτος, ὑγρῶν οὐ σῶν καὶ ἔτι τῶν σῶν συλλαβῶν ἐφ' οἷς ὡμολόγεις ἐσφάλθαι καὶ συγγνώμην ἐζήτεις καὶ παραίτησιν ἐποιοῦ, σήμερον ἀναλαμβά νεις τὰ ὡμολογημένα καὶ ἀδικεῖσθαι διισχυρίζῃ, ὥστε καὶ τοιαύ την δὴ καὶ τοσαύτην συγκροτηθῆναι τὴν παροῦσαν σύνοδον;" "ὅτι" φησὶ "λόγους πατέρων εἰπόντες καὶ λόγον ἀπαιτούμενοι περὶ τούτων ἡμεῖς, ἄλλον μὲν εἰδότες καιρὸν τὸν τῆς ἐκείνων ἀναπτύξεως, ἄλλον δὲ τὸν τότε παρόντα, εἰρηνεύειν θέλοντες μόνον, ἀφέντες τὰ πάντα ταῦτ' ἐπράττομεν, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ ὥστε τοὺς βουλομένους ἐργολαβεῖν καὶ περιάπτειν ἡμῖν αἱρέσεως ἔγκλημα." καὶ τὸν λόγον ἀναλαβόντα τὸν πατριάρχην Γρηγόριον "καὶ τί γε τὸ δοξάμενον" φάναι "τοῖς ἀμφὶ σέ;" ἦσαν γὰρ σὺν ἐκείνῳ καὶ οἱ πάλαι ἀρχιδιάκονοι, ὅ τε Μελιτηνιώτης Κωνσταν 91 τῖνος καὶ Μετοχίτης Γεώργιος. οἱ δὲ "εἰ μὲν τὴν ἁπλῶς θεο λογίαν βούλει μαθεῖν, καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἣν καὶ καρδίᾳ πιστεύομεν καὶ ὁμολογοῦμεν στόματι, αὕτη ἐστὶν ἣν ἅπας θεολογεῖ, ᾗ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐμμενοῦμεν μέχρι καὶ αὐτῆς τελευταίας ἀναπνοῆς. εἰ δὲ ζητεῖς καὶ τὴν τῶν πατέρων, ἣν οὐκ ἐναντίαν φαμὲν τῷ συμβόλῳ τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλ' ἀνάπτυξιν καὶ διασαφήνισιν μᾶλλον τῶν κει μένων ἐν τῷ συμβόλῳ, εὑρίσκομεν ἐν γραφαῖς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον χορηγούμενον διδόμενον ἀποστελλόμενον προερχόμενον ἐκ πατρὸς δι' υἱοῦ, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ παρ' ἐνίοις τῶν πατέρων ἐκπορευόμε νον. λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆αμασκηνὸς Ἰωάννης καὶ 20προβο λεὺς διὰ λόγου ἐκφαντορικοῦ πνεύματος20. ταὐτὸν δὲ τὸ προβολεὺς τῷ αἰτίῳ γινώσκομεν. αἴτιον οὖν οὔ φαμεν τὸν υἱὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκ πατρὸς προόδῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, οὔτε μὴν συναί τιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναθεματίζομεν καὶ ἀποβαλλόμεθα τὸν οὕτω λέ γοντα. τὸν δὲ πατέρα αἴτιον δι' υἱοῦ τοῦ πνεύματος λέγομεν, ἐπείπερ τὸ προβολεὺς εἰς αἴτιον ἐκλαμβάνεται." "καὶ πῶς, ὦ οὗτοι", φησὶν ὁ μέγας λογοθέτης, "οὐ ποιεῖτε αἴτιον τὸν υἱὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκ πατρὸς προόδῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, ἐπείπερ διὰ λόγου αἴ τιον ὁμολογεῖτε τὸν πατέρα τοῦ πνεύματος; δείκνυτε γὰρ ἐξ ὧν λέγετε, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ὁ πατὴρ προύβαλε πνεῦμα, εἰ μὴ υἱὸν ἐγέννα. τὸ δ' ἐστὶν ἐμφαινόμενον αἴτιον." τοὺς δὲ θέλοντας ἐκφεύγειν τὸ ὑπονοούμενον ἄτοπον φάναι ὡς πολλὰ ἐπὶ τῆς θεολογίας λέ 92 γονται ἃ δὴ μικρῷ τῷ λόγῳ τὰ μεγάλα σταθμώμενα ἐμφαίνουσί τι ταῖς χαμερπέσιν ἐννοίαις καὶ ἄτοπον ὅλως καὶ μὴ πρέπον θεῷ. "οὐ λέγομεν τέλειος θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, καὶ τέλειος θεὸς ὁ υἱός, καὶ τέλειος θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; οὐχ ὑπονοεῖται τριθεΐα τὸ συν