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Eudoxius that we do not think these things, by anathematizing the treatise of Aetius." And when the emperor gladly received the request and ordered this to be done, Eudoxius for his part tried to back out and used many devices to evade the challenge. But when the emperor grew angry and threatened to send him with Aetius as a sharer in his impious opinion, he denied his own teaching, which he had continued to advocate both then and afterwards. However, he himself also brought a counter-charge against the party of Eustathius, saying that they too should anathematize the term homoousios, since it was unwritten. "'But also 'from non-being'," said Silvanus, "and 'creature' and 'of a different substance,' since they are unwritten and are not found in either the prophetic or apostolic oracles, it is right for them to renounce and to drive them out from divine assemblies.'" To these things the emperor also gave his approval and commanded them to anathematize them. And they at first engaged in contradiction; but later, seeing the emperor's anger, though they were displeased, they nevertheless renounced what Silvanus had proposed to them. 162 Then they pressed on more vehemently, demanding the anathema of the homoousion. But Silvanus, both with reason and with truth, said to them and to the emperor: "'If God the Word is not from non-being, nor a creature, nor from another substance, then he is of one substance with God who begot him, as God from God and light from light, and he has the same nature as his begetter.'" But although he had spoken these things both powerfully and truly, none of those present were persuaded, but there was a great outcry from the party of Eudoxius and Acacius, and the emperor grew angry and threatened to drive them from the churches. But Eleusius and Silvanus with the others said that he had power over punishment, but they themselves had power over piety or impiety; and that they would not betray their ancestral teaching. But Constantius, though he ought to have admired their wisdom and courage and boldness for the apostolic doctrines, drove them from the churches and ordered others to be appointed in their place. Then Eudoxius tyrannically seized the throne of the church of the Constantinopolitans, and having driven Eleusius out of Cyzicus, he appointed Eunomius in his place. And when these things had happened thus, the emperor ordered that Aetius be renounced in writing, and the partakers of his impiety, being persuaded, renounced their like-minded companion. They also wrote to George, the leader of the Alexandrians, informing him of the matters concerning this man. And I will also include this letter in my history, to show their wickedness. For they treated both those who agreed and those who disagreed in a similar way. 163 "Copy of the letter written by the whole synod to George against "Aetius his deacon on account of his unlawful blasphemy. "'The holy synod assembled in Constantinople to the lord "most honored bishop of Alexandria, George, greeting.' "'With regard to the condemnation of Aetius made by the synod on account of "his unlawful and scandalous writings, what was "in accordance with the ecclesiastical canons was done to him by the "bishops. For he was deposed from the diaconate and alienated from the "church; and exhortations from us followed, that his unlawful letters should neither come "to be read, but that they should be cast aside "on account of being useless and unprofitable. And to this we add that "he is to be anathematized if he persists in the same intention, together with those who "agree with him. It was therefore fitting that all the bishops who "had assembled in the synod should in common abhor the one who was the cause of scandals "and disturbances and schisms, and of clamor throughout the world "and of sedition of the churches against one another, and to be of one mind with respect to the "vote brought against him. But contrary to our prayers and "all expectation, Serras and Stephen and Heliodorus and Theophilus "and those with them did not vote with our opinions nor "did they wish to subscribe to the votes brought against him, "although the
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ἡμᾶς μὴ ταῦτα φρονεῖν ὁ Εὐδόξιος, ἀναθεματίζων τοῦ Ἀετίου τὸ σύγγραμμα." τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀσπαστῶς δεξαμένου τὴν αἴτησιν καὶ τοῦτο γενέσθαι προστεταχότος, ἀνεδύετο μὲν ὁ Εὐ δόξιος καὶ πολλαῖς ἐκέχρητο μηχαναῖς ἐκκλῖναι τὴν πρόκλησιν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐχαλέπηνεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ σὺν Ἀετίῳ πέμψειν ἠπείλησεν ὡς τοῦ δυσσεβοῦς φρονήματος κοινωνόν, τὴν οἰκείαν ἠρνήθη διδασκαλίαν, ἣν καὶ τότε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρεσβεύων διατετέλεκεν. ἀντεπήγαγε μέντοι καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς περὶ τὸν Εὐστάθιον, χρῆναι καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀνα θεματίσαι λέγων ἄγραφον ὂν τοῦ ὁμοουσίου τὸ πρόσρημα. "ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων", ὁ Σιλβανὸς ἔφη, "καὶ τὸ κτίσμα καὶ τὸ ἑτερο ούσιον, ἄγραφα τυγχάνοντα καὶ οὔτε προφητικοῖς οὔτε ἀποστολικοῖς λογίοις προσκείμενα, δίκαιον αὐτοὺς ἀποκηρῦξαι καὶ θείων ἐξελάσαι συλ λόγων." τούτοις καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεψήφισε καὶ ἀναθεματίζειν ἐκείνους ἐκέλευσεν. οἱ δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα εἰς ἀντιλογίαν καθίσταντο· ὕστερον δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸν θυμὸν θεασάμενοι, δυσχεραίνοντες μέν, ἀπεκήρυξαν δὲ ὅμως ἅπερ ὁ Σιλβανὸς αὐτοῖς προὔτεινεν. 162 Ἐπέκειντο δὲ λοιπὸν σφοδρότερον, τοῦ ὁμοουσίου τὸν ἀναθεμα τισμὸν εἰσπραττόμενοι. ἀλλὰ συλλογιστικῶς τε καὶ ἀληθῶς ὁ Σιλ βανὸς πρός τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἔφη· "εἰ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε κτίσμα οὔτε ἐξ ἑτέρας οὐσίας ὁ θεὸς λόγος, ὁμοούσιος ἄρα ἐστὶ τῷ γεγεννηκότι θεῷ, ὡς θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτός, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει τῷ γεννήτορι φύσιν." ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ δυνατῶς καὶ ἀληθῶς εἰρήκει, ἐπείθετο δὲ τῶν παρόντων οὐδείς, ἀλλὰ βοή τε πολλὴ τῶν περὶ Εὐδόξιον καὶ Ἀκάκιον ἐγίνετο καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐχα λέπηνε καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐξελάσειν ἠπείλησεν. Ἐλεύσιος δὲ καὶ Σιλβανὸς σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ αὐτὸν ἔφασαν ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν τῆς τι μωρίας καὶ σφὰς αὐτοὺς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἢ δυσσεβείας· οὐ μὴν προ ήσεσθαι τὴν πατρῴαν διδασκαλίαν. ὁ δὲ Κωνστάντιος, θαυμάζειν δέον καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποστολι κῶν δογμάτων παρρησίαν, τοὺς μὲν ἐξήλασε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ἑτέρους δὲ ἀντ' αὐτῶν καταστῆναι προσέταξε. τότε τῆς μὲν Κωνσταντινου πολιτῶν ἐκκλησίας ὁ Εὐδόξιος τυραννικῶς ἁρπάζει τὸν θρόνον, τῆς δὲ Κυζίκου τὸν Ἐλεύσιον ἐξελάσας ἀντ' ἐκείνου κατέστησε τὸν Εὐ νόμιον. καὶ τούτων δὲ οὕτως γεγενημένων, ἀποκηρυχθῆναι τὸν Ἀέτιον ἐγγράφως προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ τῆς δυσσεβείας οἱ κοι νωνοὶ πεισθέντες ἀπεκήρυξαν τὸν ὁμόφρονα. ἔγραψαν δὲ καὶ πρὸς Γεώργιον τὸν τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἡγούμενον, τὰ κατὰ τοῦτον μηνύοντες. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τήνδε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐνθήσω τῇ συγγραφῇ, τὴν ἐκείνων μοχθηρίαν ἐπιδεικνύς. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῖς συμφωνοῦσι καὶ τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσι παραπλησίως ἐκέχρηντο. 163 "Ἀντίγραφον τῶν γραφέντων ὑπὸ πάσης τῆς συνόδου Γεωργίῳ κατὰ "Ἀετίου διακόνου αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν τῆς ἀθεμίτου αὐτοῦ βλασφημίας. "Ἡ ἁγία σύνοδος ἡ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει συνελθοῦσα κυρίῳ "τιμιωτάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας Γεωργίῳ χαίρειν. "Τῆς ἐπ' Ἀετίῳ γενομένης καταγνώσεως ὑπὸ τῆς συνόδου διὰ "τὰς ἀθεμίτους αὐτοῦ καὶ σκανδάλων γεμούσας λογογραφίας, τὸ μὲν "ἀκόλουθον τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς κανόσιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν ἐπι "σκόπων ἐπράχθη. καθῃρέθη γὰρ τῆς διακονίας καὶ ἠλλοτριώθη τῆς "ἐκκλησίας· καὶ παραινέσεις παρ' ἡμῶν παρηκολούθησαν, μήτε εἰς "ἀνάγνωσιν ἔρχεσθαι τὰς ἀθεμίτους αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολάς, ῥιπτάζεσθαι δὲ "αὐτὰς διὰ τὸ ἄχρηστον καὶ ἀνωφελές. προστίθεμεν δὲ τούτοις καὶ "ἀναθεματίζεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐπιμείναντα τῇ αὐτῇ προθέσει μετὰ τῶν "συναινούντων αὐτῷ. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀκόλουθον ἦν κοινῇ πάντας τοὺς "συνελθόντας ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ ἐπισκόπους ἀποστυγεῖν τὸν σκανδάλων "καὶ ταραχῶν καὶ σχισμάτων αἴτιον καὶ θρύλου τοῦ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην "καὶ στάσεως πρὸς ἀλλήλας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ὁμονοεῖν δὲ πρὸς τὴν "ἐξενεχθεῖσαν κατ' αὐτοῦ ψῆφον. ἀλλὰ παρ' εὐχὰς ἡμετέρας καὶ παρὰ "προσδοκίαν πᾶσαν Σέρρας καὶ Στέφανος καὶ Ἡλιόδωρος καὶ Θεόφιλος "καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτοῖς οὐ συνεψηφίσαντο ταῖς ἡμετέραις γνώμαις οὐδὲ "συνυπογράψαι ταῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ψήφοις ἐξενεχθείσαις ἠβουλήθησαν, "καίτοι τοῦ