37
as many of the clergy and of the 2.1.4 multitude were hostile towards Eustathius. But Eusebius wrote to the emperor, declining. And the emperor praised his refusal (for an ecclesiastical law forbade one who had once presided over a church from pursuing another see), and he wrote [also to the people] and to Eusebius himself, approving his decision and calling him blessed as being worthy to oversee not one city, but the whole 2.1.5 inhabited world. He also wrote to the people of the church of Antioch concerning both concord and the necessity of not desiring one who was bishop elsewhere, as it was not good to covet the things of others. 2.1.6 And separately, besides these, he sent another letter to the synod; and in his letters to them he similarly admired Eusebius for his refusal, and having learned that Euphronius, a Cappadocian presbyter, and George of Arethusa, were approved in the faith, he commanded them to ordain whomever of these they might judge fit, or another, who, he says, might appear worthy, as president of the church of Antioch. And when they had received the emperor's letters, they ordained Euphronius. 2.1.7 But Eustathius, as I learned, bore the slander quietly, judging it somehow to be better thus, a man in other respects noble and good and justly admired for his eloquence, as can be seen from his extant orations, which are esteemed for their antiquity of diction and sobriety of thought and beauty of words and grace of delivery. 2..1 About this time, Julius, after Mark had been bishop for a short time after Silvester, administered the throne in Rome, and Maximus after Macarius that of Jerusalem. The story is that he was ordained by Macarius as bishop of the church in Diospolis, but was prevented by the inhabitants of Jerusalem; for being a confessor and otherwise good, he was a candidate by the approval of the people for the 2..2 episcopate there after the death of Macarius. But since the multitude bore it ill to be deprived of one whose virtue they had tested, and sedition was threatened, it seemed good that the people of Diospolis should choose another bishop, and that Maximus should remain in Jerusalem and officiate with Macarius, and after his death should preside over the church. It must be known, however, that those who have investigated these matters assert that these things happened and were earnestly promoted to the people according to the judgment of Macarius; for they say that he repented of the ordination of Maximus, reflecting that as one who held right opinions concerning God and was favored by the people on account of his confession, he must by all means be kept 2..3 for his own succession. For he feared that, upon his death, the party of Eusebius and Patrophilus, who indeed held the opinions of Arius, would find an opportunity and entrust the throne there to one of their own opinion; since even while Macarius was living they had attempted to innovate, but having been excommunicated by him for this reason they kept quiet. 2.21.1 Meanwhile, for the Egyptians the contention which had been stirred up among them from the beginning had not yet come to an end. For since at the synod of Nicaea the Arian heresy was altogether renounced, while those who held the opinions of Meletius were received on the aforesaid terms, when Alexander returned to Egypt, Meletius handed over the churches which he had unlawfully brought under his own control, and 2.21.2 passed his time in Lycus. But not long after, when he was about to end his life, he appointed a certain John, one of his associates, 2.21.3 in his own place, contrary to the decree of the synod of Nicaea, and again became a cause of disorder to the churches. And the followers of Arius, seeing the followers of Meletius innovating, they too disturbed the churches. For as is wont to happen in such disturbances, some admired the opinion of Arius, while others justified that those ordained by Meletius ought to preside over the churches, and they attached themselves to these. But though previously each party was at variance with itself, when they saw the multitude following the priests of the catho2.21.4lic church, they fell into envy. And they made a truce with each other and took up a common enmity against the clergy of Alexandria.
37
ὅσοι τοῦ κλήρου καὶ τοῦ 2.1.4 πλήθους ἀπεχθῶς εἶχον πρὸς Εὐστάθιον. ὅ γε μὴν Εὐσέβιος ἔγραψε βασιλεῖ παραιτούμενος. ἐπαινέσας δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν παραίτησιν ὁ βασιλεύς (νόμος γὰρ ἐκκλησιαστικὸς ἐκώλυε τὸν ἅπαξ ἡγησάμενον ἐκκλησίας ἐπισκοπὴν ἄλλην μὴ μετιέναι) ἔγραψε [δὲ καὶ τῷ λαῷ] καὶ αὐτῷ Εὐσεβίῳ ἀποδεχόμενος αὐτὸν τῆς γνώμης καὶ μακάριον ἀποκαλῶν ὡς οὐ μιᾶς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ πάσης 2.1.5 τῆς οἰκουμένης ἄξιον ὄντα ἐπισκοπεῖν. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ τῷ λαῷ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας περί τε ὁμονοίας καὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἐφίεσθαι τοῦ παρ' ἄλλοις ἐπισκοποῦντος, ὡς οὐκ ἀγαθοῦ ὄντος τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμεῖν. 2.1.6 ἰδίᾳ δὲ παρὰ ταύτας ἄλλην ἐπιστολὴν τῇ συνόδῳ διεπέμψατο· καὶ Εὐσέβιον μὲν ὁμοίως τῆς παραιτήσεως ἐθαύμαζεν ἐν τοῖς πρὸς αὐτοὺς γράμμασιν, ὡς δοκίμους δὲ τὴν πίστιν εἶναι πυθόμενος Εὐφρόνιον Καππαδόκην πρεσβύτερον καὶ Γεώργιον ᾿Αρεθούσιον, ἐκέλευσε τούτων, ὃν ἂν κρίνωσιν, ἢ ἕτερον, ὃς ἄξιος, φησί, φανείη, χειροτονῆσαι τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας προστάτην. ᾿Επεὶ δὲ τὰ βασιλέως ἐδέξαντο γράμματα, Εὐφρόνιον ἐχειροτόνησαν. 2.1.7 Εὐστάθιος δέ, ὡς ἐπυθόμην, ἡσυχῇ τὴν συκοφαντίαν ἤνεγκεν ὧδέ πῃ κρίνας εἶναι ἄμεινον, ἀνὴρ τά τε ἄλλα καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐπὶ εὐγλωττίᾳ δικαίως θαυμαζόμενος, ὡς ἐκ τῶν φερομένων αὐτοῦ λόγων συνιδεῖν ἔστιν ἀρχαιότητι φράσεως καὶ σωφροσύνῃ νοημάτων καὶ ὀνομάτων κάλλει καὶ χάριτι ἀπαγγελίας εὐδοκιμούντων. 2..1 ῾Υπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ᾿Ιούλιος μέν, Μάρκου μετὰ Σίλβεστρον ἐπ' ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ἐπισκοπήσαντος, τὸν ἐν ῾Ρώμῃ διεῖπε θρόνον, Μάξιμος δὲ μετὰ Μακάριον τὸν ῾Ιεροσολύμων. τοῦτον δὲ λόγος ἐπίσκοπον ὑπὸ Μακαρίου χειροτονηθῆναι τῆς ἐν ∆ιοσπόλει ἐκκλησίας, ἐπισχεθῆναι δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις κατοικούντων· ὁμολογητὴς γὰρ ὢν καὶ ἄλλως ἀγαθὸς τῇ δοκιμασίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ ὑποψήφιος ἦν μετὰ τὴν Μακαρίου τελευτὴν εἰς τὴν ἐνθάδε 2..2 ἐπισκοπήν. ἐπεὶ δὲ χαλεπῶς τὸ πλῆθος ἔφερεν οὗ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐπειράθη ἀποστερούμενον, καὶ στάσις ἠπειλεῖτο, ἔδοξεν εὖ ἔχειν ∆ιοσπολίταις μὲν ἕτερον αἱρεῖσθαι ἐπίσκοπον, Μάξιμον δὲ ἐν ῾Ιεροσολύμοις μεῖναι καὶ Μακαρίῳ συνιερᾶσθαι, μετὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἰστέον μέντοι ὡς οἱ τάδε ἠκριβωκότες κατὰ γνώμην Μακαρίου γενέσθαι τε καὶ σπουδασθῆναι τῷ πλήθει ταῦτα ἰσχυρίζονται· φασὶ γὰρ αὐτὸν μεταμεληθῆναι ἐπὶ τῇ Μαξίμου χειροτονίᾳ, ἐπιλογισάμενον ὡς ὀρθῶς περὶ θεοῦ δοξάζων καὶ διὰ τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῷ λαῷ κεχαρισμένος ἀναγκαίως φυλακτέος 2..3 ἐστὶν εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ διαδοχήν. ἐδεδίει γάρ, μὴ τελευτήσαντος αὐτοῦ καιρὸν εὑρόντες οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Εὐσέβιον καὶ Πατρόφιλον, οἱ δὴ τὰ ᾿Αρείου φρονοῦντες, ὁμοδόξῳ τὸν ἐνθάδε θρόνον ἐπιτρέψουσιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ Μακαρίου περιόντος νεωτερίσαι ἐπεχείρησαν, ἀφορισθέντες δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦτο ἡσυχίαν ἦγον. 2.21.1 ᾿Εν τούτῳ δὲ Αἰγυπτίοις οὔπω τέλος εἶχεν ἡ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους κινηθεῖσα φιλονικία. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἡ μὲν ᾿Αρειανὴ αἵρεσις παντάπασιν ἀπεκηρύχθη, οἱ δὲ τὰ Μελιτίου φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐδέχθησαν, ἐπανελθόντι ᾿Αλεξάνδρῳ εἰς Αἴγυπτον παρέδωκε Μελίτιος τὰς ἐκκλησίας, ἃς παρανόμως ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ 2.21.2 ἐν τῇ Λυκῷ διῆγε. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ μέλλων τὸν βίον τελευτᾶν ᾿Ιωάννην τινὰ τῶν αὐτῷ συνήθων παρὰ τὸ δόγμα τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου κατέστησεν 2.21.3 ἀντ' αὐτοῦ καὶ πάλιν αἴτιος ἀταξίας ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐγένετο. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ ᾿Αρείου τοὺς Μελιτίου νεωτερίζοντας συνετάραττον καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰς ἐκκλησίας. οἷα γὰρ φιλεῖ ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ταραχαῖς, οἱ μὲν τὴν ᾿Αρείου δόξαν ἐθαύμαζον, οἱ δὲ ἐδικαίουν τοὺς ὑπὸ Μελιτίου χειροτονηθέντας χρῆναι τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἡγεῖσθαι, καὶ τούτοις προσετίθεντο. πρότερον δὲ διαφερόμενοι πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἑκάτεροι, ὡς εἶδον τὸ πλῆθος ἑπόμενον τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τῆς καθό2.21.4 λου ἐκκλησίας, εἰς φθόνον κατέστησαν. καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐσπείσαντο καὶ κοινὴν τὴν ἔχθραν ἀνεδέξαντο πρὸς τὸν κλῆρον ᾿Αλεξανδρείας.