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Nicephorus of Ephesus asserting that his ordination did not proceed according to the canons—for it was the ambition of the then-ruler Theodore that he be crowned and rush into the troubled affairs in the 165 west; for which reason, with almost no day in between, but continuously on all of them, he was initiated into all the grades of the priesthood and thus was elevated to the first rank of the hierarchy, for these reasons the emperor permitted the hierarchs to do whatever they wished. And indeed, as they deliberated for many days, nothing more came to the patriarch to suffer than impatience and condemnation, so that it was possible for him to speak and seek correction, being fainthearted and yielding the throne to others. And they acted thus; but it was, as it later showed, that the matter in question not only admitted of difficult remedy, but was also completely incurable; wherefore he wished to impose upon himself a penalty for his ignorance, openly a voluntary one, as an apology to God, since matters had not proceeded for him according to his hopes.

10. How Nicephorus of Ephesus was installed as patriarch. They at that time, having inquired much about who might securely take over the church, and especially the influential ones, on whom the rest of the multitude of hierarchs depended, finally came to one mind on the man of Ephesus, a devout man and renowned for virtue and moderately adorned with eloquence, already growing old, who indeed had sufficient zeal so as to be inflamed on behalf of the church and its laws which were being despised. And something also happened, which indeed vexed him for his whole time as hierarch—for he had been voted into the patriarchate by the synod in the time of John Doukas before the patriarch Manuel, and the emperor held back the votes, fearing the man's zeal, saying: "He whom no one can withstand as an archdeacon, how could one endure him as patriarch?" Therefore, although appointed to Ephesus, he nevertheless maintained that he had been wronged by the emperor in his own honor, this indeed 167 having intervened made the man obedient at that time when he was summoned, and he gladly accepted the election; for he had been appointed to this by grace from that time, even if, having been prevented for the reason stated, which was in fact sufficient and even more so for his own commendation, others were introduced of necessity to fill his place. Thus he, considering the election to be from God according to His just judgment, delaying not at all, is proclaimed patriarch. And the emperor, having sent him to Nicaea with the greatest honor, himself hurried to Lampsacus, intending to cross over to Kallipolis on the opposite shore; for he was also assembling not a few forces against the Italians, so that by laying siege he might try to capture the fortress opposite Byzantium, the one called Galata.

17. How the bishops of Sardis and of Thessalonica did not agree with the others on these matters. At that time, therefore, both Andronicus of Sardis and Manuel of Thessalonica—for Kalophoros of Smyrna, although he was resigning, nevertheless put forward other reasons, which he considered sufficient for resignation, but these openly opposed, and in appearance they were zealous for the patriarch who had been unjustly overlooked, but in secret also for the things for which the patriarch, being zealous, since for the time being he could not accomplish them, was withdrawing. However, the then-patriarch Nicephorus, formerly of Ephesus, being supported by the synod, and much more so by the will of the emperor, and having much gold collected from Ephesus, he establishes himself in Nicaea. And at first he tried in various ways with the schismatic hierarchs, so that they might come together with him and be at peace, and he was much engaged in pursuing them with threats; but he did not persuade them, but rather sharpened their zeal, and they mocked his messages. And when he did not persuade them after doing everything, he considered introducing others to the churches; which indeed also happened later. But he was trying the others, and the disturbance was great, and the scandal against him was raised; for except

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Ἐφέσου Νικηφόρου μὴ κατὰ κανόνας προβῆναι τὴν χειροτονίαν ἐκείνου διαβεβαιοῦντοςσπουδὴ γὰρ ἦν τοῦ κρατοῦντος τότε Θεοδώρου ἐφ' ᾧ ταινιώσεσθαι καὶ τεταραγμένοις τοῖς κατὰ 165 δύσιν ἐπεισπεσεῖν πράγμασι· παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν παρ' οὐδεμίαν μεταξὺ σχεδὸν ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ἁπάσαις, τοὺς τῆς ἱερωσύνης βαθμοὺς ἐτελεῖτο πάντας καὶ οὕτως πρὸς τὴν πρώτην τῆς ἱεραρχίας τάξιν ἀνεβιβάζετο, διὰ ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν ὑφῆκε πράττειν ὅ τι καὶ βούλοιντο. Καὶ δὴ σκεπτομένων ἐκείνων ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις, οὐδὲν πλέον ὑπῆρξε τῷ πατριάρχῃ παθεῖν ἀνυπομονησίας καὶ καταγνώσεως, ὡς ἐξὸν λέγειν καὶ ζητεῖν διόρθωσιν μικροψυχοῦντι καὶ τοῦ θρόνου ἑτέροις παραχωροῦντι. Κἀκεῖνοι μὲν οὕτως· ἦν δὲ ἄρα, ὡς ἔδειξεν ὕστερον, τὸ ζητούμενον μὴ ὅτι γε δυσχερῆ θεραπείαν προσιέμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅλως ἀνίατον· διὸ καὶ δίκην τῆς ἀγνοίας ἄντικρυς ἑκουσίαν εἰς ἀπολογίαν τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἐπιτιθέναι ἠβούλετο ἑαυτῷ, μὴ κατ' ἐλπίδας προχωρησάντων αὐτῷ τῶν πραγμάτων.

ιʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Ἐφέσου Νικηφόρος πατριάρχης ἀποκατέστη. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τότε περὶ τοῦ τίς ἂν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κατὰ τὸ ἐχέγγυον παρα λήψαιτο τὰ πολλὰ ζητήσαντες, καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ δοκοῦντες, ὧν καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τῶν ἀρχιερέων πλῆθος ἐξήρτηντο, τέλος μιᾶς ἐπὶ τῷ Ἐφέσου γνώμης γίνονται, ἀνδρὸς εὐλαβοῦς καὶ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐπιδόξου καὶ λόγῳ μετρίως κοσμουμένου, γηρῶντος ἤδη, ᾧ δὴ καὶ ζῆλος ἦν ἱκανὸς ὡς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς νόμων καταφρονουμένων ἐκκαίεσθαι. Συμβὰν δὲ καί τι, ὃ δὴ καὶ τὸν ὅλον τῆς ἱεραρχίας χρόνον ἐκεῖνον ἐπέκνιζενἐψήφιστο γὰρ εἰς πατριαρχεῖον παρὰ τῆς συνόδου ἐπὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ ∆ούκα πρὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου Μανουήλ, καὶ ὁ βασιλεύων τὰς ψήφους συνέχει, τὸν ζῆλον δεδιττόμενος τοῦ ἀνδρός, φήσας· «Ὃν οὐ δύναταί τις ὑποστῆναι ἀρχιδιάκονον ὄντα, πῶς ἂν πατριαρχοῦντα ὑπομείνειε;» ∆ιὸ δὴ καὶ τῆς Ἐφέσου προχειρισθείς, ὅμως ἠδικῆσθαι παρὰ βασιλέως εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν τιμὴν διετείνετο, τοῦτο δὴ 167 μεσολαβῆσαν ἐποίει τότε τὸν ἄνδρα πειθήνιον προσκαλούμενον, καὶ τὴν ἐκλογὴν ἀσμένως ἐδέχετο· εἶναι γὰρ ἔκτοτε τεταγμένον εἰς τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς χάριτος, εἰ καί, κωλυθέντος παρὰ τὴν ῥηθεῖσαν αἰτίαν, ἱκανήν γε οὖσαν καὶ ταύτην μᾶλλον εἰς σύστασιν ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν αὐτοῦ τόπον ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀναπληρώσοντες εἰσήχθησαν ἕτεροι. Οὕτως ἐκεῖνος, τὴν ἐκλογὴν θεόθεν κατὰ τὴν δικαίαν ἐκείνου κρίσιν ὑπολογισάμενος, οὐδὲν ἀναβαλλόμενος, ἀναγορεύεται πατριάρχης. Ὃν δὴ καὶ ἐν τιμῇ μεγίστῃ ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς Νίκαιαν ἀποστείλας, αὐτὸς ἠπείγετο πρὸς τὴν Λάμψακον, περαιωθησόμενος πρὸς τὴν ἀντιπέραν Καλλιούπολιν· συνεκρότει γὰρ καὶ δυνάμεις οὐκ ὀλίγας κατ' Ἰταλῶν, ἐφ' ᾧ προσκαθίσας πειρῷτο κρατήσειν τὸ καταντικρὺ τῆς Βυζαντίδος φρούριον, τὸ οὕτω πως λεγόμενον Γαλατᾶν.

ιζʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Σάρδεων καὶ ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐ συνεφώνουν τοῖς ἄλλοις. Τότε τοίνυν ὅ τε Σάρδεων Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης Μανουήλὁ γὰρ Καλοφόρος Σμύρνης, εἰ καὶ παρῃτεῖτο, ἀλλ' οὖν αἰτίας ἑτέρας προὐβάλ λετο δοξάσας ἱκανὰς εἰς παραίτησιν, οἱ δὲ φανερῶς ἀντέτεινον, καὶ τῷ δοκεῖν μὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατριάρχου κακῶς παροφθέντος ἐζήλουν, τῷ δὲ κρυ πτομένῳ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ πατριάρχης ζηλῶν, ὡς τέως οὐκ ἀνυστῶν, ὑπεχώρει. Ὁ μέντοι γε τότε πατριαρχεύων Νικηφόρος, ὁ ἀπὸ Ἐφέσου, συγκροτούμενος μὲν τῇ συνόδῳ, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον καὶ τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως θελήσει, ἔχων καὶ πολὺν συναχθέντα ἐκ τῆς Ἐφέσου χρυσόν, ἐφίσταται τῇ Νικαίᾳ. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐπειρᾶτο ποικίλως τῶν σχιζομένων ἀρχιερέων, ἐφ' ᾧ συνέλθοιέν τέ οἱ καὶ εἰρηνεύοιεν, καὶ πολὺς ἦν αὐτοὺς μετερχόμενος ἀπειλαῖς· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπειθε, πλέον δὲ παρέθηγε τὸν ζῆλον ἐκείνων, καὶ κατεγέλων τῶν μηνυμάτων. Ὡς δ' οὐκ ἔπειθε πάντα πράξας, ἀντεισάγειν ἄλλους ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐσκέπτετο· ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν ὕστερον. Αὐτὸς δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπεπειρᾶτο, καὶ ἡ ταραχὴ πολλὴ ἦν, καὶ τὸ κατ' ἐκείνου σκάνδαλον ᾔρετο· πλὴν γὰρ