Antoninus dies, with whom Eusebius had the lawsuit. Again a decree comes from Asia, this one from the clergy of the church of the Ephesians, and this one from the bishops, to John, containing a request with a dreadful oath: "Since in former times both the canons and we have been shepherded in confusion, we ask your honor to come down and impose a God-sent model on the church of the Ephesians, which has been exhausted for a long time, on the one hand by those who hold the opinions of Arius, and on the other hand by those who profess our own views with greed and self-love; especially since many are lying in wait, like grievous wolves, eager to snatch the throne for money." But John, in such a bodily ailment and at the winter season, setting nothing grievous before his eyes, for the sake of establishing especially the ailing affairs of the whole Asian diocese due to the inexperience or lack of shepherds, strengthened by his zeal, embarked on a ship, and departed from the city. And when a strong north wind arose, the sailors, fearing lest they be cast out onto Proconnesus, 89 having set the foresail to the tossed ship, run under the mountain of Triton; and there casting the anchors, they remained waiting for a south wind, so that they might put in at Apamea. So having remained for two days fasting, wandering on the ship, on the third day they went out to Apamea, where Paul and Cyrinus and Palladius the bishops were waiting (for John had taken these as traveling companions). And having completed the journey on foot, they enter into Ephesus; and having gathered the bishops of Lydia and Asia and Caria, amounting to seventy men, they perform the ordination, with many having come of their own free will, especially Phrygians, for the enjoyment of a mouth of wisdom, according to what is said: "Wisdom is praised in the streets" (that is, in those who speak), "and in the squares it speaks boldly" (that is, in hearts that have been broadened by manifold afflictions, according to, "In affliction you have enlarged me"). -for wisdom is straitened in those who cultivate tares and choke the word. CHAPTER ΙΕʹ So, as things were thus, Eusebius, the cause of our long speech, approached all the bishops, the accuser of the six remaining bishops, asking to be received into communion. Some of the bishops objected, that he ought not to be received as a slanderer. At this he supplicates, saying: "Since the trial has for the most part been examined for two years, and the postponement has come down to witnesses, I beg your piety today to grant me the witnesses immediately. For even if Antoninus, the one who took the gold and ordained, has died, yet 90 there remain those who gave and were ordained." The present synod judged it right for the matter to be investigated. The case begins with the reading of the formerly transacted records. The witnesses entered, and six of those who had given and been ordained also entered. At first, indeed, they denied it; but as the witnesses persisted, some laymen, and some also presbyters, to whom they seemed to have confided, and certain women, also stating the types of pledges, and the places and the times and the amount, with their conscience not being very well disposed, they voluntarily confess without much compulsion, that "We have given, it is confessed, and we have become bishops, having thought that this was the procedure, so that we might seem to be freed from the city council. And now we ask, if it is holy, for us to be in the liturgy of the church; since otherwise we should at least receive the gold that we have given; for some of us have given vessels belonging to our wives." To this John promised the synod, that "From the city council I, with God, will release them, by petitioning the emperor; but you command them to receive what they have given from the heirs of Antoninus." The synod commanded that they should receive the gold from the heirs of Antoninus, but to commune within the sanctuary, and be separate from the priests, so that, these things being permitted, a Jewish or Egyptian custom should not arise, of selling and
ἀποθνήσκει ὁ Ἀντωνῖνος, μεθ' οὗ εἶχεν ὁ Εὐσέβιος τὴν δίκην. αὖθις ψήφισμα ἔρχεται ἀπὸ Ἀσίας, τοῦτο μὲν τοῦ κλήρου τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἐφεσίων, τοῦτο δὲ τῶν ἐπισκόπων, πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην, ἀξίωσιν μεθ' ὅρκου φρικτοῦ περιέχον· "Ἐπειδὴ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθε χρόνοις φύρδην οἵ τε θεσμοὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐποιμάνθημεν, ἀξιοῦμέν σου τὴν τιμιότητα κατελθοῦσαν τύπον ἐπιθεῖναι θεόπεμπτον τῇ Ἐφεσίων ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐκ μακρῶν τῶν χρόνων καταπονηθείσῃ, τοῦτο μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ Ἀρείου φρονούντων, τοῦτο δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ ἡμέτερα μετὰ πλεονεξίας καὶ φιλαυτίας αὐχούντων· ἐπειδὴ μάλιστα πολλοὶ οἱ ἐφεδρεύοντες, ὡς λύκοι βαρεῖς, διὰ χρημά των ἁρπάσαι τὸν θρόνον ἐπειγόμενοι." ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης ἐν τοσ αύτῃ σώματος ἀνωμαλίᾳ καὶ χειμερίας τῆς ὥρας, οὐδὲν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν θέμενος λυπηρόν, ἐπὶ καταστάσει μάλιστα νενοση κότων πραγμάτων ὅλης τῆς Ἀσιανῆς διοικήσεως δι' ἀπειρίαν ἢ ἐρημίαν ποιμένων, τονωθεὶς τῇ προθυμίᾳ, ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον, ἀπαίρει τῆς πόλεως. ἐπιγενομένου δὲ σφοδροῦ ἀνέμου βοῤῥέου, φοβηθέντες οἱ ναυτικοί, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τὴν Προκονησσὸν ἐκριφῶσι, 89 τὸ ἔπαρμα θέντες τῇ βαλλομένῃ, ὑποτρέχουσι τὸ ὄρος τοῦ Τρίτωνος· κἀκεῖσε ῥίψαντες τοὺς κατόχους, ἔμενον ἐκδεχόμενοι νότον, ἵνα παραβάλωσι τῇ Ἀπαμείᾳ. ἐπιμείναντες οὖν δύο ἡμέρας νήστεις ῥεμβόμενοι ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ, τῇ τρίτῃ ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὴν Ἀπάμειαν, ἐν ᾗ ἐξεδέχοντο Παῦλος καὶ Κυρῖνος καὶ Παλ λάδιος οἱ ἐπίσκοποι (τούτους γὰρ ἔλαβε συνεκδήμους ὁ Ἰωάννης). διανύσαντες δὲ τῇ πεζικῇ πορείᾳ τὴν ὁδὸν εἰσβάλλουσιν εἰς τὴν Ἔφεσον· καὶ συναγαγόντες τοὺς τῆς Λυδίας ἐπισκόπους καὶ Ἀσίας καὶ Καρίας συντείνοντας εἰς ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας, ποιοῦνται τὴν χειροτονίαν, τῶν πολλῶν ἐκ προθυμίας ἑκουσίου ἀπαντησάντων, μάλιστα Φρυγῶν, ἐπὶ ἀπολαύσει στόματος σοφίας, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· "Σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται" (τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς λαλοῦσιν), "ἐν δὲ πλατείαις παῤῥησίαν ἄγει" (τοῦτ' ἔστι καρδίαις ταῖς διὰ πολυτρόπων θλίψεων πλατυν θείσαις, κατὰ τό, "Ἐν θλίψει ἐπλάτυνάς με"). -στενοχωρεῖται γὰρ ἡ σοφία ἐν τοῖς τὰ ζιζάνια γεωργοῦσι καὶ τὸν λόγον συμπνίγουσιν. <ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΕʹ> Τούτων οὖν οὕτως ἐχόντων, προσῆλθεν ὁ τῆς μακρηγορίας ἡμῖν αἴτιος τοῖς ἐπισκόποις πᾶσιν Εὐσέβιος, ὁ κατήγορος τῶν ἓξ λοιπῶν ἐπισκόπων, ἀξιῶν δεχθῆναι εἰς κοινωνίαν. προσαντι λέγουσί τινες τῶν ἐπισκόπων, μὴ δεῖν αὐτὸν δεχθῆναι ὡς συκοφάντην. ἐπὶ τούτοις ἱκετεύει λέγων· "Ἐπειδὴ ἡ δίκη τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος ἐπὶ δύο ἔτη ἐβασανίσθη, εἰς μάρτυρας δὲ γεγέ νηται ἡ ὑπέρθεσις, δέομαι τῆς ὑμετέρας θεοσεβείας σήμερον πάραυτα δοῦναί με τοὺς μάρτυρας. εἰ γὰρ καὶ Ἀντωνῖνος ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ λαβὼν τὸ χρυσίον καὶ χειροτονήσας, ἀλλ' οὖν 90 γε μένουσιν οἱ δεδωκότες καὶ χειροτονηθέντες." ἐδικαίωσεν ἡ παροῦσα σύνοδος ζητηθῆναι τὸ πρᾶγμα. ἄρχεται ἡ ὑπόθεσις ἐξ ἀναγνώσματος τῶν πρώην πραχθέντων ὑπομνημάτων. εἰσῆλθον οἱ μάρτυρες, εἰσῆλθον καὶ ἓξ τῶν δεδωκότων καὶ χειροτονηθέν των. ἐν μὲν τῇ ἀρχῇ ἠρνοῦντο· ἐπιμενόντων δὲ τῶν μαρτύρων, τῶν μὲν λαϊκῶν, τῶν δὲ καὶ πρεσβυτέρων, οἷς ἔδοξαν τεθαῤῥη κέναι, καὶ γυναικῶν τινων, καὶ τὰ εἴδη τῶν ἐνεχύρων λεγόντων, καὶ τοὺς τόπους καὶ τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ τὴν ποσότητα, οὐ πάνυ καλῶς διακειμένης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεως, αὐθαίρετοι ὁμολο γοῦσι δίχα πολλῆς ἀνάγκης, ὅτι "∆εδώκαμεν, ὡμολόγηται, καὶ γεγόναμεν, τοιαύτην νομίσαντες εἶναι ἀκολουθίαν, ἵνα δόξωμεν τοῦ βουλευτηρίου ἐλευθεροῦσθαι. καὶ νῦν δεόμεθα, εἰ μὲν ἔστιν ὅσιον, ἡμᾶς εἶναι ἐν τῇ λειτουργίᾳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ἐπεὶ κἂν τὸ χρυσίον, ὃ δεδώκαμεν, ἵνα λάβωμεν· τῶν γὰρ γυναικῶν ἡμῶν τινες δεδώκαμεν σκεύη." ὁ Ἰωάννης πρὸς ταῦτα ὑπέσχετο τῇ συνόδῳ, ὅτι "Τοῦ μὲν βουλευτηρίου ἐγὼ αὐτοὺς σὺν Θεῷ ἀπαλ λάξω, ἀξιώσας τὸν βασιλέα· ὑμεῖς δὲ προστάξατε αὐτοὺς λαβεῖν ὃ δεδώκασιν παρὰ τῶν Ἀντωνίνου κληρονόμων." προσέταξεν ἡ σύνοδος, τὸ μὲν χρυσίον αὐτοὺς λαβεῖν παρὰ τῶν κληρονόμων Ἀντωνίνου, κοινωνεῖν δὲ ἔνδον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, εἶναι δὲ ἀπὸ ἱερέων, ἵνα μὴ τούτων συγχωρηθέντων ἔθος γένηται Ἰουδαϊκὸν ἢ Αἰγύπτιον, τοῦ πωλεῖν καὶ