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Sozomen, The Ecclesiastical History. — Prefatory Remarks, by Valesius
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Prefatory Remarks, by Valesius,
Chapter IX.— Constantine enacts a Law in favor of Celibates and of the Clergy .
Chapter X.— Concerning the Great Confessors who survived .
Chapter XI.— Account of St. Spyridon: His Modesty and Steadfastness .
Chapter XII.— On the Organization of the Monks: its Origin and Founders .
Chapter XIII.— About Antony the Great and St. Paul the Simple .
Chapter XIV.— Account of St. Ammon and Eutychius of Olympus .
Chapter XVII.— Of the Council convened at Nicæa on Account of Arius .
Chapter XIX.— When the Council was assembled, the Emperor delivered a Public Address.
Chapter IV.— What Constantine the Great effected about the Oak in Mamre he also built a Temple .
Chapter VII.— How the Iberians received the Faith of Christ .
Chapter VIII.— How the Armenians and Persians embraced Christianity .
Chapter X.— Christians slain by Sapor in Persia .
Chapter XI.— Pusices, Superintendent of the Artisans of Sapor .
Chapter XII.— Tarbula, the Sister of Symeon, and her Martyrdom .
Chapter XIII.— Martyrdom of St. Acepsimas and of his Companions .
Chapter XV.— Constantine writes to Sapor to stay the Persecution of the Christians .
Chapter XX.— Concerning Maximus, who succeeded Macarius in the See of Jerusalem .
Chapter XXII.— The Vain Machinations of the Arians and Melitians against St. Athanasius .
Chapter XXIII.— Calumny respecting St. Athanasius and the Hand of Arsenius .
Chapter XXV.— Council of Tyre Illegal Deposition of St. Athanasius .
Chapter XXX.— Account given by the Great Athanasius of the Death of Arius .
Chapter XXXIII.— Marcellus Bishop of Ancyra his Heresy and Deposition .
Chapter III.— Paul, Bishop of Constantinople, and Macedonius, the Pneumatomachian .
Chapter IV.— A Sedition was excited on the Ordination of Paul .
Chapter XV.— Didymus the Blind, and Aëtius the Heretic .
Chapter XVI.— Concerning St. Ephraim .
Chapter XXI.— Letter of Constantius to the Egyptians in behalf of Athanasius. Synod of Jerusalem .
Chapter XXII.— Epistle written by the Synod of Jerusalem in Favor of Athanasius .
Chapter III.— Martyrdom of the Holy Notaries .
Chapter IX.— Council of Milan. Flight of Athanasius .
Chapter XIV.— Letter of the Emperor Constantius against Eudoxius and his Partisans .
Chapter XVII.— Proceedings of the Council of Ariminum .
Chapter XVIII.— Letter from the Council at Ariminum to the Emperor Constantius .
Chapter XXII.— Council of Seleucia .
Chapter II.— The Life, Education, and Training of Julian, and his Accession to the Empire .
Chapter IX.— Martyrdom of the Saints Eusebius, Nestabus, and Zeno in the City of Gaza .
Chapter XIV.— The Partisans of Macedonius disputed with the Arians concerning Acacius .
Chapter III.— The Reign of Jovian he introduced Many Laws which he carried out in his Government .
Chapter VIII.— Election of Nectarius to the See of Constantinople his Birthplace and Education .
Chapter IX.— Decrees of the Second General Council. Maximus, the Cynical Philosopher .
Chapter XXI.— Discovery of the Honored Head of the Forerunner of our Lord, and the Events about it .
Chapter XXIV.— Victory of Theodosius the Emperor over Eugenius .
Chapter XXVI.— St. Donatus, Bishop of Eurœa, and Theotimus, High-Priest of Scythia .
Chapter XXVII.— St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, and a Particular Account of his Acts .
Chapter IV.— Enterprise of Gaïnas, the Gothic Barbarian. Evils which he perpetrated .
Chapter II.— Discovery of the Relics of Forty Holy Martyrs .
Chapter III.— The Virtues of Pulcheria Her Sisters .
Chapter IV.— Truce with Persia. Honorius and Stilicho. Transactions in Rome and Dalmatia .
Chapter VI.— Alaric the Goth. He assaulted Rome, and straitened it by War .
Chapter X.— A Roman Lady who manifested a Deed of Modesty .
Chapter XVII.— Discovery of the Relics of Zechariah the Prophet, and of Stephen the Proto-Martyr .
Chapter XVII.— Friendship of Basil and of Gregory, the Theologian; being Peers in Wisdom, they defend the Nicene Doctrines .
Basil and Gregory were contemporaries, and they were recognized to be equally intent, so to speak, upon the cultivation of
the virtues.
34
Chrysostom, de Sacerdotio, i. 1–7.
They
35
Soc. iv. 26; Ruf. ii. 9. Cf. Theodoret, H. E. iv. 30.
had both studied in their youth at Athens, under Himerius and Proæresius, the most approved sophists of the age; and afterwards
at Antioch, under Libanius, the Syrian. But as they subsequently conceived a contempt for sophistry and the study of the law,
they determined to study philosophy according to the law of the Church. After having spent some time in the pursuit of the
sciences, taught by pagan philosophers, they entered upon the study of the commentaries which Origen and the best approved
authors who lived before and after his time, have written in explanation of the Sacred Scriptures.
They rendered great assistance to those who, like themselves, maintained the Nicene doctrines, for they manfully opposed the
dogmas of the Arians, proving that these heretics did not rightly understand either the data upon which they proceeded, nor
the opinions of Origen, upon which they mainly depended. These two holy men divided the perils of their undertaking, either
by mutual agreement, or, as I have been informed, by lot. The cities in the neighborhood of Pontus fell to the lot of Basil;
and here he founded numerous monasteries, and, by teaching the people, he persuaded them to hold like views with himself.
After the death of his father, Gregory acted as bishop of the small city of Nazianzus,
36
He had been coadjutor bishop during his father’s lifetime.
but resided on that account in a variety of places, and especially at Constantinople. Not long after he was appointed by the
vote of many priests to act as president of the people there; for there was then neither bishop nor church in Constantinople,
and the doctrines of the council of Nicæa were almost extinct.