28.  There arose a disagreement between him and his predecessor46    His predecessor, Eusebius, Archbishop of Cæsarea. in the rule over this Church:  its source and character it is best to pass over in silence, yet it arose.  He was a man in other respects far from ignoble, and admirable for his piety, as was proved by the persecution of that time, and the opposition to him, yet his feeling against Basil was one to which men are liable.  For Momus seizes not only upon the common herd, but on the best of men, so that it belongs to God alone to be utterly uninfluenced by and proof against such feelings.  All the more eminent and wise portion of the Church was roused against him, if those are wiser than the majority who have separated themselves from the world and consecrated their life to God.  I mean the Nazarites47    Nazarites, i.e., the monks. of our day, and those who devote themselves to such pursuits.  They were annoyed that their chief48    Their chief, i.e., Basil. should be neglected, insulted, and rejected, and they ventured upon a most dangerous proceeding.  They determined to revolt and break off from the body of the Church, which admits of no faction, severing along with themselves no small fraction of the people, both of the lower ranks, and of those of position.  This was most easy, owing to three very strong reasons.  In the first place, the man was held in repute, beyond any other, I think, of the philosophers of our time, and able, if he wished, to inspire with courage the conspirators.  Next, his opponent49    His opponent, lit. “the man who was vexing him,” i.e., Eusebius. was suspected by the city, in consequence of the tumult which accompanied his institution, of having obtained his preferment in an arbitrary manner, not according to the laws and canons.  Also there were present some of the bishops50    Bishops.  It is uncertain who these bishops were.  Clémencet thinks they were Lucifer and Eusebius of Vercellæ.  But a separation had ere this taken place between them in consequence of Lucifer’s rash action at Antioch.  Nor is it certain that Eusebius had not already returned to Italy. of the West, drawing to themselves all the orthodox members of the Church.

Ἐγένετό τις πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα διαφορὰ τῷ πρὸ τούτου καθηγεμόνι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας: τὸ μὲν ὅθεν καὶ ὅπως σιωπᾶν ἄμεινον, πλὴν ἐγένετο: ἀνδρὶ τἆλλα μὲν οὐκ ἀγεννεῖ καὶ θαυμαστῷ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ὡς ἔδειξεν ὁ τότε διωγμός, καὶ ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔνστασις, ὅμως δέ τι παθόντι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀνθρώπινον: ἅπτεται γὰρ οὐ τῶν πολλῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀρίστων ὁ Μῶμος, ὡς μόνον ἂν εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ παντελῶς ἄπταιστον καὶ ἀνάλωτον πάθεσι. Κινεῖται οὖν ἐπ' αὐτὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὅσον ἔκκριτον καὶ σοφώτερον, εἴπερ σοφώτεροι τῶν πολλῶν, οἱ κόσμου χωρίσαντες ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸν βίον καθιερώσαντες: λέγω δὲ τοὺς καθ' ἡμᾶς Ναζιραίους καὶ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα μάλιστα ἐσπουδακότας: οἳ δεινὸν ποιησάμενοι τὸ σφῶν κράτος παριδεῖν περιυβρισμένον καὶ ἀπωσμένον, πρᾶγμα τολμῶσιν ἐπικινδυνότατον: ἀπόστασιν ἐννοοῦσι καὶ ῥῆξιν τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ ἀστασιάστου τῆς Ἐκκλησίας σώματος, οὐκ ὀλίγην καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ μοῖραν παρατεμόμενοι, ὅση τε τῶν κάτω καὶ ὅση τῶν ἐπ' ἀξίας. Ῥᾷστον δὲ τοῦτο ἦν ἐκ τριῶν τῶν ἰσχυροτάτων. Ὅ τε γὰρ ἀνὴρ αἰδέσιμος, ὡς οὐκ οἶδ' εἴ τις ἄλλος τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς φιλοσόφων, καὶ ἱκανὸς θάρσος παρασχεῖν, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο, τῷ συστήματι: τόν τε λυποῦντα δι' ὑποψίας εἶχεν ἡ πόλις ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὴν κατάστασιν ταραχῆς. ὡς οὐκ ἔννομον οὐδὲ κανονικῶς μᾶλλον ἢ τυραννικῶς τὴν προστασίαν δεξάμενον: καὶ παρῆσαν τῶν δυτικῶν ἀρχιερέων τινές, μεθέλκοντες πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὅσον ὀρθόδοξον.