104

doing to the Romans whatever they would have done even when they had been under his command before. But the events that followed from this will be told in their proper place hereafter. 31. Then the emperor, thinking it a terrible thing if he should any longer refrain from putting the church in order (for it was not for the good of the Roman state for the church not to be in order), setting aside for a little his external cares, gave his attention also to the anxieties concerning the church, as it was already beginning to be shaken again. And so he convened synods, and gathered an assembly of holy men, both of high priests and of clerics and monks, into one place, and spent his days with them, investigating the matter of the resignation according to the canons. Then, as they were assembled for days, a schism arose. And those who were devoted to the patriarch did not accept the resignation; for they said he had been insulted, and that it was a necessity 348 for one who has suffered insult, not being avenged, to choose to withdraw, so that when vengeance had been duly exacted, he would be ready to return again and receive his honor. And that what he had uttered out of distress was not an oath at all, but rather a turmoil of thoughts swelling from some zeal, brought forth from a slip of the mind and not from any stability and considered purpose and condition. But those of the opposite view both accepted the resignation as well-considered and judged the statement to be an inescapable oath; for indeed he himself, in the declaration of his resignation, confessed it, and called what was brought forth, articulated by his own lips, a vow to God. And from this they disputed contentiously, some holding this opinion, others that. And their argument was not so much about the resignation as about the oath, whether it was permissible for the time being to disregard it and compel him to accept the office of patriarch again. And to some it seemed altogether abominable for one convicted of perjury to be and be called patriarch thereafter; but others unrolled books and brought forward histories, and on the one hand they cited Flavian, who swore not to accept ordination and later accepted it, and on the other, Bianor in the time of the great 349 Basil, the saints having absolved their oaths by ways of economy and spiritual order. They said these things as they held different opinions, and in these matters time was spent. Scarcely after much contention and the joint deliberation under the emperor, who was both listener and judge, since it was not possible for their opinions to agree, with much time being drawn out, they decided at the same time to send and ask the patriarch himself what his opinion was and what he had to say both on his resignation and on the reputed oath; for they held the piety and simplicity of the man as a guarantee that he would say things better than any proof, concerning which they were disputing with one another. And indeed they requested the patriarch of Alexandria, who was also presiding there, for the purpose of the arrival to him, and they sent with him his supporters and two high priests, Nikephoros of Crete and Arsenios of Pergamon. And they, upon their arrival, inquired about the resignation and the statement as from the whole synod and the emperor.

(32) But he, shortening his defense as much as possible, set it down in writing and sent it. It was, to speak in its very words, as follows. "My holy lord emperor, your mighty and holy majesty and the divine and sacred synod have communicated to me, through the most holy pope and patriarch 350 of Alexandria and through the two high priests, that I should make known to your mighty and holy majesty what my opinion is concerning the statement that happened to me, and also concerning my resignation. And I ought not to have answered at all, since my resignation clearly represents my will; but since I am now being asked with difficulty, I answer this briefly to your holy and mighty majesty, that I for many years now have resolved within myself neither to swear nor to seek another's oath, nor to utter from my mouth an insult worthy of blame, nor indeed to curse anyone. And I kept myself so until the

104

Ῥωμαίους δρώντων ὅσ' ἂν κἂν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τὸ πρὶν ἐστρατήγηντο ἔπραττον. ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐντεῦθεν ἐπισυμβάντα εἰρήσεται κατὰ τό πον ἐσαῦθις. 31. Τότε δὲ βασιλεὺς δεινὸν οἰηθεὶς εἰ καὶ πλέον ἀφέξοιτο τοῦ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καθιστᾶν (μηδὲ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ εἶναι τοῖς Ῥω μαίων πράγμασι τὸ μὴ ἐν καταστάσει τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἶναι), μι κρὸν ἀφέμενος τῶν ἔξω φροντίδων ἐδίδου καὶ ταῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας μερίμναις, ἤδη καὶ πάλιν ἀρχομένης κραδαίνεσθαι. καὶ δὴ συνόδους συνῆγε, καὶ ἱερῶν ἀνδρῶν σύνταγμα, ὅσον ἦν ἐξ ἀρ χιερέων καὶ ὅσον ἐκ κληρικῶν τε καὶ μοναχῶν, εἰς ταὐτὸν καθί στα, καὶ συνδιημέρευε τούτοις, τὰ περὶ τῆς παραιτήσεως κατὰ κανόνας διερευνώμενος. τότ' ἐφ' ἡμέραις συναγομένων σχίσμα γεγόνει. καὶ οἱ μὲν πατριάρχῃ προσκείμενοι τὰ τῆς παραιτήσεως οὐκ ἐδέχοντο· ὑβρίσθαι γὰρ ἔλεγον τοῦτον, καὶ ἀνάγκην εἶναι 348 μὴ ἐκδικούμενον, ὑβριοπαθήσαντα, ἐκχωρεῖν αἱρεῖσθαι, ὥστε καὶ τῆς ἐκδικίας κατὰ τρόπον προβάσης αὐτὸν καὶ αὖθις ἐπανή κειν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν λαμβάνειν ἕτοιμον γίνεσθαι. ὅρκον δὲ μηδ' εἶναι τὸ παράπαν, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀπὸ θλίψεως διεφθέγξατο, ταραχὴν δὲ μᾶλλον λογισμῶν ἐκ ζήλου τινὸς ἀνοιδουμένην, ἐξ ὀλίσθου προαχθεῖσαν γνώμης καὶ οὐκ ἔκ τινος εὐσταθείας καὶ μεμεριμνη μένου σκοποῦ τε καὶ καταστάσεως. οἱ δὲ ἀπεναντίας καὶ τὴν παραίτησιν ὡς λελογισμένην ἐδέχοντο καὶ τὸν λόγον ὡς ὅρκον ἄφυκτον ἔκρινον· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν δὴ ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς παραιτήσεως ἐκθέσει ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ εὐχὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὀνομάζειν τὸ προαχθέν, διεσταλμένην τοῖς αὐτοῦ χείλεσι. καὶ διεφιλονείκουν ἐντεῦθεν, οἱ μὲν ἔνθεν οἱ δ' ἐκεῖθεν τὰ τῆς γνώμης ἔχοντες. καὶ οὐ το σοῦτον περὶ τῆς παραιτήσεως σφίσιν ὁ λόγος ἦν ὅσον περὶ τοῦ ὅρκου, εἰ ἔξεστι τέως παριδόντας αὐτὸν ἀναγκάζειν καὶ αὖθις πατριάρχην τὴν ἀρχὴν δέχεσθαι. καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἀπώμοτον ὅλως ἐδόκει τὸν ψευδορκίας ἁλόντα πατριάρχην τοὐντεῦθεν καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι· οἱ δὲ βίβλους ἀνέπτυσσον καὶ ἱστορίας προέτει νον, καὶ ποῦ μὲν Φλαβιανὸν προσῆγον ὀμόσαντα τὴν χειροτονίαν μὴ δέχεσθαι καὶ δεξάμενον ὕστερον, ποῦ δὲ τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ μεγάλου 349 Βασιλείου Βιάνορα, θεραπευσάντων τῶν ἁγίων τοὺς ἐκείνων ὅρ κους τρόποις οἰκονομίας καὶ πνευματικῆς καταστάσεως. ταῦτ' ἔλεγον διαγνωμονοῦντες, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ χρόνος ἐτρίβετο. μό λις μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν διαφιλονεικίαν καὶ τὴν ὑπὸ βασιλεῖ ἀκροατῇ γε καὶ διαγνώμονι συνδιάσκεψιν, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν συμβαίνειν τὰς γνώμας αὐτῶν, εἰς πολὺ τοῦ καιροῦ κατατεινομένου, ἔγνωσαν ἅμα πέμπειν καὶ ἐρωτᾶν ἐκεῖνον αὐτὸν πατριάρχην, ὅπως ἔχοι γνώμης καὶ ὅ τι λέγει ἐπί τε τῇ παραιτήσει καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ φημιζο μένῳ ὅρκῳ· τὸ γὰρ εὐλαβὲς καὶ ἁπλοῦν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐχέγγυον εἶ χον λέγειν ἐκεῖνον τὰ πάσης ἀποδείξεως κρείττω, ἐφ' οἷς ἄρα διημφισβήτουν ἀλλήλοις. καὶ δὴ ἠξίουν μὲν πατριάρχην Ἀλεξαν δρείας, ἐκεῖ καὶ αὐτὸν προκαθεζόμενον, τῆς παρ' ἐκεῖνον ἀφί ξεως ἕνεκα, συνέπεμπον δέ οἱ τοὺς συνεροῦντας καὶ δύο ἀρχιε ρεῖς, τόν τε Κρήτης Νικηφόρον καὶ τὸν Περγάμου Ἀρσένιον. οἳ καὶ ἐπιστάντες περὶ τῆς παραιτήσεως καὶ τοῦ λόγου ὡς ἐκ συν όδου πάσης καὶ βασιλέως διεπυνθάνοντο.

(32) ὁ δὲ τὸν ἀπό λογον ὅσον ἦν συντεμών, γραφῇ σημήνας ἀπέστειλεν. ἦν δ' ἐπ' αὐτῆς εἰπεῖν τῆς λέξεως ἔχουσα οὕτως. "δέσποτά μου ἅγιε βα σιλεῦ, διεμηνύσατό μοι ἡ κραταιὰ καὶ ἁγία βασιλεία σου καὶ ἡ θεία καὶ ἱερὰ σύνοδος, μετὰ τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πάπα καὶ πατριάρ 350 χου Ἀλεξανδρείας καὶ μετὰ τῶν δύο ἀρχιερέων, ἵνα παραδηλώσω τῇ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἁγίᾳ βασιλείᾳ σου ὅπως ἔχω γνώμης περὶ τοῦ συμβάντος εἰς ἐμὲ λόγου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς παραιτήσεώς μου. καὶ ἔδει μὴ τὸ παράπαν ἀποκρίνασθαί με, τῆς ἐμῆς παραιτή σεως σαφῶς παριστώσης τὴν ἐμὴν βούλησιν· ἐπεὶ δὲ μόλις νῦν ἐρωτῶμαι, ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ τοῦτο ἀποκρίνομαι πρὸς τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ κραταιὰν βασιλείαν σου, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐκ πολλῶν ἤδη τῶν χρόνων ἐθέ μην ἐν ἐμαυτῷ μήτε ὀμόσαι μήθ' ἕτερον ὅρκον ζητῆσαι, μηδὲ ὕβριν μέμψεως ἀξίαν τοῦ στόματος προενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδέ τινι καταράσασθαι. καὶ ἐφυλασσόμην μέχρι τῆς