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they were guided by the teaching. In addition to these, Apollinarius of Laodicea declared himself the leader of another faction; who, having put on the mask of piety and seeming to champion the apostolic doctrines, a little later was shown to be an open enemy. For concerning the divine nature he used spurious arguments, inventing certain degrees of dignities, and dared to declare the mystery of the economy incomplete, and he said that the rational soul, which is entrusted with guiding the body, was deprived of the 280 salvation that had been wrought. For, according to his argument, God the Word, not having taken this, neither deemed it worthy of healing, nor imparted honor to it; but while the earthly body is worshipped by the invisible powers, the soul which was made in the divine image has remained below, clothed with the dishonor of sin. And besides these things he introduced many other innovations with an erring and blinded mind. For at one time he himself also confessed that the flesh was assumed from the holy virgin, but at another he said that it had come down from heaven with God the Word, and at another time that he himself had become flesh, having taken nothing from us. And he yoked other myths and trifles to the divine promises, which I have thought it superfluous to mention at present. He then, by saying such things, not only filled his own people with corruption, but also imparted the contamination to some of our own. For in later time, seeing their own insignificance and beholding the eminence of the church, they all, except for a few, were united and partook of the ecclesiastical communion; but they did not put away their former disease, but even filled many of those who had long been sound with it. From this root sprang up in the churches the one nature of the flesh and of the Godhead, and the ascribing of the passion to the Godhead of the only-begotten, and all the other things that have produced conflict for both the laity and the priests. But these things happened later. But at that time, when Sapor the general arrived and presented the imperial law, Paulinus asserted that he himself was of the party of 281 Damasus, and Apollinarius also asserted it, concealing his disease; but the divine Meletius sat quietly, enduring their strife. But the most wise Flavian, who was still enrolled in the choir of the presbyters, first said to Paulinus in the hearing of the general: “If, O friend, you embrace the communion of Damasus, show us clearly the affinity of your doctrines; for he, confessing one substance of the Trinity, expressly preaches the three hypostases, but you openly destroy the triad of hypostases. Show, therefore, the harmony of your doctrines and take the churches according to the law.” Having thus silenced him with refutations, he said to Apollinarius: “I marvel at you, O friend, for so shamelessly fighting against the truth, and this when you know clearly that the admirable Damasus says that our nature was assumed in its entirety by God the Word, but you persist in saying the contrary; for you deprive our mind of salvation. But if we speak falsely in accusing you of these things, at least now deny the innovation brought forth by you, and embrace the teaching of Damasus, and take the divine sanctuaries.” The most wise Flavian, then, with true arguments silenced their boldness. But Meletius, the gentlest of all men, kindly and mildly said to Paulinus: “Since the lord of the sheep has entrusted to me the care of these sheep, and you have undertaken the charge of the others, and the flocks share with one another in piety, let us join the flocks, O friend, and put an end to the dispute about the leadership; and pasturing the sheep in common, let us offer them a common care. But if the chair between us begets strife, I will try to drive this out also. For having placed the divine gospel upon it, I recommend that we sit on either side. 282 And if I should be the first to receive the end of life, you alone, O friend, will have the leadership of the flock;

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διδασκαλίας ἰθύνοντο. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Ἀπολινάριος ὁ Λαοδικεὺς ἑτέρας συμμορίας ἑαυτὸν ἀπέφηνεν ἀρχηγόν· ὃς τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας περιθέμενος προσω πεῖον καὶ τῶν ἀποστολικῶν δόξας ὑπερασπίζειν δογμάτων, μικρὸν ὕστερον, προφανὴς ὤφθη πολέμιος. καὶ γὰρ περὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως κιβδήλοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις βαθμούς τινας ἀξιωμάτων γεννήσας, καὶ τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον ἀτελὲς ἀποφῆναι τετόλμηκε, καὶ τὴν λογικὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἰθύνειν τὸ σῶμα πεπιστευμένην ἐστερῆσθαι τῆς 280 γεγενημένης ἔφησε σωτηρίας. οὐκ εἰληφὼς γὰρ ταύτην κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνου λόγον ὁ θεὸς λόγος, οὔτε ἰατρείας ἠξίωσεν, οὔτε τιμῆς μετέ δωκεν· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν σῶμα τὸ γήϊνον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀοράτων προσκυνεῖται δυνάμεων, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἡ κατ' εἰκόνα θείαν γεγενημένη κάτω μεμένηκε, τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀτιμίαν περικειμένη. πολλὰ δὲ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἕτερα ἐνεόχμωσεν ἐσφαλμένῃ καὶ τυφλωττούσῃ διανοίᾳ. ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ συνωμολόγει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου προσειλῆφθαι τὴν σάρκα, ποτὲ δὲ οὐρανόθεν ταύτην τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ συγκατεληλυθέναι ἔφη σεν, ἄλλοτε δὲ αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι σάρκα, οὐδὲν ἐξ ἡμῶν εἰληφότα. καὶ ἑτέρους δὲ μύθους καὶ λήρους ταῖς θείαις ἐπαγγελίαις συνέζευξεν, οὓς καὶ λέγειν περιττὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος νενόμικα. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα λέγων οὐ μόνον τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς λύμης ἐνέπλησεν, ἀλλὰ καί τισι τῶν ἡμετέρων τῆς λώβης μετέδωκε. χρόνῳ γὰρ ὕστερον τήν τε σφετέραν ὁρῶντες εὐτέλειαν καὶ τὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας θεώμενοι περιφάνειαν, συνήφθησαν μὲν πλὴν ὀλίγων ἅπαντες καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς κοινωνίας μετέλαχον· τὴν δὲ προτέραν οὐκ ἀπέ θεντο νόσον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν πάλαι ἐρρωμένων ταύτης ἐνέ πλησαν. ἐκ τῆσδε τῆς ῥίζης ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἐβλάστησεν ἡ μία τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῆς θεότητος φύσις καὶ τὸ τῇ θεότητι τοῦ μονογενοῦς προσάπτειν τὸ πάθος καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα τοῖς τε λαοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τὴν διαμάχην γεγέννηκεν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον γεγένηται. Τότε δὲ ἀφικομένου Σάπωρος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ τὸν βασιλικὸν ὑποδείξαντος νόμον, ἰσχυρίζετο μὲν ὁ Παυλῖνος αὐτὸς εἶναι τῆς ∆α 281 μάσου μερίδος, ἰσχυρίζετο δὲ καὶ Ἀπολινάριος κατακρύπτων τὴν νόσον· ὁ δὲ θεῖος Μελέτιος ἡσυχῇ καθῆστο, τῆς ἐκείνων ἀνεχόμενος ἔριδος. Φλαβιανὸς δὲ ὁ σοφώτατος, τῷ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἐγκατειλεγμένος ἔτι χορῷ, πρῶτον μὲν πρὸς τὸν Παυλῖνον ἔφη τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ἐπαΐ οντος· "εἰ τὴν ∆αμάσου, ὦ φιλότης, κοινωνίαν ἀσπάζῃ, ἐπίδειξον ἡμῖν σαφῶς τὴν τῶν δογμάτων συγγένειαν· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ μίαν τὴν τῆς τριάδος οὐσίαν ὁμολογῶν τὰς τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις διαρρήδην κη ρύττει, σὺ δὲ ἄντικρυς τῶν ὑποστάσεων ἀναιρεῖς τὴν τριάδα. δεῖξον δὴ οὖν τῶν δογμάτων τὴν συμφωνίαν καὶ λάβε τὰς ἐκκλησίας κατὰ τὸν νόμον". οὕτως ἐκεῖνον τοῖς ἐλέγχοις ἐπιστομίσας, πρὸς τὸν Ἀπολινάριον ἔφη· "θαυμάζω σε, ὦ φιλότης, οὕτως ἀναίδην τῇ ἀλη θείᾳ μαχόμενον, καὶ ταῦτα σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενον ὡς ὁ θαυμάσιος ∆ά μασος τελείαν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν ἀνειλῆφθαί φησιν, σὺ δὲ τοὐναντίον λέγων διατελεῖς· τὸν γὰρ νοῦν τὸν ἡμέτερον τῆς σωτηρίας ἀποστερεῖς. εἰ δὲ ψευδῆ φαμεν ταῦτά σου κατηγοροῦν τες, νῦν γοῦν τὴν ὑπὸ σοῦ τεχθεῖσαν ἀρνήθητι καινοτομίαν καὶ τὴν ∆αμάσου στέρξον διδασκαλίαν καὶ τοὺς θείους λάβε σηκούς". ὁ μὲν οὖν σοφώτατος Φλαβιανὸς τοῖς ἀληθέσι λόγοις τὴν ἐκείνων κατέ παυσε παρρησίαν. Μελέτιος δέ, ὁ πάντων ἀνθρώπων πραότατος, φιλοφρόνως ἅμα καὶ ἠπίως ἔφη πρὸς τὸν Παυλῖνον· "ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἐμοὶ τῶνδε τῶν προβάτων τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ὁ τῶν προβάτων ἐνεχείρισε κύριος καὶ σὺ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναδέδεξαι τὴν φροντίδα, κοινωνεῖ δὲ ἀλλήλοις τῆς εὐσεβείας τὰ θρέμματα, συνάψωμεν, ὦ φιλότης, τὰ ποίμνια καὶ τὴν περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας καταλύσωμεν διαμάχην· κοινῇ δὲ τὰ πρόβατα νέμοντες κοινὴν αὐτοῖς προσενέγκωμεν θεραπείαν. εἰ δὲ ὁ μέσος θῶκος τὴν ἔριν γεννᾷ, ἐγὼ καὶ ταύτην ἐξελάσαι πει ράσομαι. ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ τὸ θεῖον προτεθεικὼς εὐαγγέλιον, ἑκατέρωθεν 282 ἡμᾶς καθῆσθαι παρεγγυῶ. καὶ εἰ μὲν πρῶτος ἐγὼ δεξαίμην τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας, μόνος σχήσεις, ὦ φιλότης, τὴν τῆς ποίμνης ἡγεμονίαν·