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fifty; and providing for the unity of all entreated him to hold the primacy and to guide the church in common, having the presidency as a prize for concord. But the one who was not persuaded was not destined for long to lead even the few he had, who would be added to the others. 7.3.1 At that time, when Meletius also returned to Antioch in Syria in accordance with this law, a terrible contention arose among the people. For as Paulinus was still alive, whose piety, as we have learned, the emperor Valens respected and did not dare to condemn to exile, some demanded that Meletius become his co-enthroned. 7.3.2 But when the partisans of Paulinus objected and disparaged the ordination of Meletius as having been performed by Arian bishops, the supporters of Meletius forcibly carried out what they were zealous for. 7.3.3 for being no small multitude, in one of the churches before the city they raised him to the episcopal throne. But as the people on both sides were angry and sedition was expected, a certain wonderful plan prevailed, 7.3.4 leading them toward concord. For it was resolved to receive oaths from those who were considered or expected to be fit to hold the episcopal office of this throne, among whom were five others and Flavian, that they would neither seek nor accept ordination to the episcopacy, as long as Paulinus or Meletius survived; and to concede that when one of them died first, the other 7.3.5 alone should have the episcopacy. And when the oaths were given accordingly, almost the entire multitude was in agreement. But a few of Lucifer's party still dissented, on the grounds that Meletius had been ordained by heretics. And when these things had happened thus, Meletius 7.3.6 came to Constantinople; at which time, as many other bishops had assembled there at the same time, it was deemed necessary to transfer Gregory from Nazianzus and to entrust the episcopacy here to him. 7.4.1 About this time, Gratian, while the Gauls in the west were still being troubled by the Alamanni, returned to his father's portion, which he had left for himself and his brother to govern, having entrusted Illyricum and the eastern parts 7.4.2 of the empire to Theodosius. And matters with them went well for him according to his plan, and for Theodosius, matters with the barbarians about the Ister. And when he had prevailed over some in battle, and from others who besought to have the Romans as friends, he received treaties after taking hostages, he came to Thessa7.4.3lonica. And falling ill there, with Acholius, the bishop of that place, instructing him, he was initiated and became better. For being a Christian from his ancestors according to the dogma of the council in Nicaea, he was pleased with Acholius who held this opinion and was disposed, so to speak, to every virtue of the priesthood in good works and in sum, and he was also pleased with all the Illyrians for not partaking of the doctrine of Arius. 7.4.4 And upon inquiring about the other nations, he learned that the churches as far as Macedonia were in concord and that all equally revered God the Word and the Holy Spirit with the Father, but that from there eastward there was sedition, so that the peoples were divided into various heresies, and especially throughout Con7.4.5stantinople. But considering it better to declare beforehand to his subjects the doctrine he held concerning the divine, so as not to seem to be compelling them to worship against their judgment by a sudden command, he addressed a law from Thessalonica to the people of Constantinople; for he perceived that from there, as from some acropolis of the whole subject territory, the edict would quickly become known to the other cities as well. 7.4.6 By this he made it known that he wished all his subjects to worship as Peter, the chief of the apostles, had handed down to the Romans from the beginning, and as Damasus, the bishop of Rome, and Peter of Alexandria, then preserved; that the church of those alone who worship the divine Trinity of equal honor should be called catholic, but that those who held opinions contrary to these should be called heretics and be infamous and expect punishment. 7.5.1 After legislating these things, not much later he came to Constantinople. And were in control of the
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πεντήκοντα· προνοούμενον δὲ τῆς πάντων ἑνώσεως ἀντιβολῆσαι τοῦτον πρωτεύειν καὶ κοινῇ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἰθύνειν, ἆθλον ἐπὶ τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ τὴν προεδρίαν ἔχοντα. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν μὴ πεισθεὶς οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἔμελλεν οὐδὲ ὧν εἶχεν ὀλίγων ἡγήσεσθαι προσθεμένων τοῖς ἄλλοις. 7.3.1 ᾿Εν δὲ τῷ τότε καὶ Μελετίου κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν νόμον ἐπανελθόντος εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας δεινή τις τῷ λαῷ φιλονικία συνέβη. Παυλίνου γὰρ ἔτι περιόντος, οὗ τὴν εὐλάβειαν, ὡς ἔγνωμεν, αἰδεσθεὶς Οὐάλης ὁ βασιλεὺς καταδικάσαι φυγὴν οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν, οἱ μὲν σύνθρονον αὐτοῦ 7.3.2 γενέσθαι Μελέτιον ἠξίουν. ἀντιλεγόντων δὲ τῶν τὰ Παυλίνου φρονούντων καὶ τὴν Μελετίου χειροτονίαν διαβαλλόντων ὡς ὑπὸ ᾿Αρειανῶν ἐπισκόπων γεγενημένην, βίᾳ τὸ σπουδαζόμενον εἰς ἔργον ἦγον οἱ Μελετίου ἐπαινέται. 7.3.3 πλῆθος γὰρ οὐ τὸ τυχὸν ὄντες ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐκκλησιῶν εἰς τὸν ἐπισκοπικὸν θρόνον ἀνεβίβασαν αὐτόν. ἑκατέρωθεν δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ χαλεπαίνοντος καὶ στάσεως προσδοκωμένης θαυμαστή τις ἐκράτησεν βουλή, 7.3.4 πρὸς ὁμόνοιαν αὐτοὺς ἄγουσα. συνεδόκει γὰρ ὅρκους λαβεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἐπισκοπεῖν τὸν ἐνθάδε θρόνον ἐπιτηδείων εἶναι νομιζομένων ἢ προσδοκωμένων, ὧν ἦσαν ἕτεροι πέντε καὶ Φλαβιανός, ὡς οὔτε σπουδάσουσιν οὔτε χειροτονίας ἐπ' αὐτοῖς γινομένης ἀνέξονται ἐπισκοπεῖν, ἐς ὅσον Παυλῖνος ἢ Μελέτιος τῷ βίῳ περιῶσιν· συγχωρεῖν δὲ θατέρου προτελευτήσαντος τὸν ἕτερον 7.3.5 μόνον τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἔχειν. κατὰ ταῦτα δὲ δοθέντων τῶν ὅρκων σχεδὸν τὸ πᾶν ὡμονόει πλῆθος. ὀλίγοι δὲ τῶν Λουκίφερος ἔτι διεφέροντο, ὡς ὑπὸ ἑτεροδόξων Μελετίου χειροτονηθέντος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τάδε ὧδε γέγονε, Μελέτιος 7.3.6 μὲν ἧκεν εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν· ἡνίκα καὶ ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἐπισκόποις κατὰ ταὐτὸν γενομένοις ἔδοξεν ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι ἐκ τῆς Ναζιανζοῦ μεταθεῖναι Γρηγόριον καὶ ἐπιτρέψαι αὐτῷ τὴν ἐνθάδε ἐπισκοπήν. 7.4.1 ῾Υπὸ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον Γρατιανὸς μὲν ἔτι τῶν πρὸς ἑσπέραν Γαλατῶν ὑπὸ ᾿Αλαμανῶν ταραττομένων ἐπὶ τὴν πατρῴαν ἀνέστρεφε μοῖραν, ἣν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ διοικεῖν κατέλιπεν, ᾿Ιλλυριοὺς καὶ τὰ πρὸς 7.4.2 ἥλιον ἀνίσχοντα τῆς ἀρχῆς Θεοδοσίῳ ἐπιτρέψας. κατωρθοῦτο δὲ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ τὰ πρὸς τούτους, Θεοδοσίῳ δὲ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν ῎Ιστρον βαρβάρους. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν μὲν μάχῃ ἐπεκράτησε, τῶν δὲ φίλους ἔχειν ῾Ρωμαίους ἀντιβολούντων ὁμήρους λαβὼν σπονδὰς ἐδέξατο, ἧκεν εἰς Θεσσα7.4.3 λονίκην. νόσῳ δὲ περιπεσὼν ἐνταῦθα μυσταγωγοῦντος αὐτὸν ᾿Αχολίου τοῦ τῇδε ἐπισκόπου ἐμυήθη καὶ ῥᾷον ἔσχεν. ἐκ προγόνων γὰρ χριστιανίζων κατὰ τὸ δόγμα τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου ἥσθη ᾿Αχολίῳ ὧδε δοξάζοντι καὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς καὶ συλλήβδην, ὡς εἰπεῖν, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἱερωσύνης ἀρετὴν συντεταγμένῳ, ἥσθη δὲ καὶ ᾿Ιλλυριοῖς ἅπασι μὴ μετασχοῦσι τῆς ᾿Αρείου 7.4.4 δόξης. πυνθανόμενος δὲ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν μέχρι μὲν Μακεδόνων ἔγνω τὰς ἐκκλησίας ὁμονοεῖν καὶ πάντας ἐπίσης τῷ πατρὶ τὸν θεὸν λόγον καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα σέβειν, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ τὰ πρὸς ἕω στασιάζειν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς λαοὺς εἰς διαφόρους αἱρέσεις μεμερίσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα ἀνὰ τὴν Κων7.4.5 σταντινούπολιν. λογισάμενος δὲ ἄμεινον εἶναι προαγορεῦσαι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἣν ἔχει περὶ τὸ θεῖον δόξαν, ὥστε μὴ βιάζεσθαι δοκεῖν ἀθρόον ἐπιτάττοντα παρὰ γνώμην θρησκεύειν, νόμον ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης προσεφώνησε τῷ δήμῳ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως· συνεῖδε γὰρ ἐνθένδε ὡς ἀπό τινος ἀκροπόλεως τῆς πάσης ὑπηκόου καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι δήλην ἔσεσθαι ἐν τάχει τὴν γραφήν. 7.4.6 ἐδήλου δὲ διὰ ταύτης βούλεσθαι πάντας τοὺς ἀρχομένους θρησκεύειν, ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ῾Ρωμαίοις παρέδωκε Πέτρος ὁ κορυφαῖος τῶν ἀποστόλων, ἐφύλαττον δὲ τότε ∆άμασος ὁ ῾Ρώμης ἐπίσκοπος καὶ Πέτρος ὁ ᾿Αλεξανδρείας· μόνων δὲ τῶν ἰσότιμον τριάδα θείαν θρησκευόντων καθολικὴν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ὀνομάζεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ παρὰ ταῦτα δοξάζοντας αἱρετικοὺς προσαγορεύεσθαι καὶ ἀτίμους εἶναι καὶ τιμωρίαν προσδέχεσθαι. 7.5.1 Ταῦτα νομοθετήσας οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον ἧκεν εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν. ἐκράτουν δὲ τῶν