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he did not render equal honor to his father who was sitting with him, but approaching as to a little child he said, "Hail, little child," wagging his finger. But the emperor, being moved to anger and being indignant as though his <τῷ> child had been insulted, because he had not been deemed worthy of the same honor, ordered the old man to be thrown out insultingly. 7.6.6 But he, jesting, turned and said: "So indeed, O emperor, consider that the heavenly Father is also indignant towards those who honor the Son dissimilarly and dare to call him less than the one who begot him." But the emperor, admiring what was said, summoned the priest and asked for pardon and confessed that he had spoken 7.6.7 truly. And becoming more steadfast, he did not accept those who held opinions contrary to these things. And he forbade disputes and gatherings in the marketplace, and by establishing a law concerning this and defining a punishment, he made it not without danger to dispute in the same way concerning the nature or essence of God. 7.7.1 And quickly also he called a synod of bishops of the same opinion as himself, both for the sake of confirming the doctrines of Nicaea and of the ordination of him who was about 7.7.2 to be bishop of the throne of Constantinople. And supposing that he was able to unite to the catholic church those called Macedonians, as not differing in any great matter in the inquiry concerning doctrine, he also summoned these. Therefore there came together from those who held the Trinity to be of one substance about one hundred and fifty, and from the heresy of Macedonius thirty-six, of whom 7.7.3 the greater part happened to be from the cities around the Hellespont. And their leaders were Eleusius of Cyzicus and Marcian of Lampsacus, and of the others, Timothy who administered the throne of the Alexandrians, having succeeded his brother Peter, who had died not long before, and Meletius, the bishop of Antioch, who had already arrived previously in Constantinople on account of the appointment of Gregory, and Cyril of Jerusalem, having repented 7.7.4 then that he had formerly held the opinions of Macedonius. With these were Ascholius of Thessalonica and Diodorus of Tarsus and Acacius of Beroea; all of whom, happening to be advocates of the writing confirmed at Nicaea, besought Eleusius and his party to become of one mind with them, reminding them of what they had sent as an embassy to Liberius and had confessed through Eustathius and Silvanus 7.7.5 and Theophilus, as has been said. But they, having said openly that they would never hold that the Son is of one substance with the Father, even if they should say things contrary to their confessions to Liberius, departed and wrote to those of the same mind in each city 7.7.6 not to agree with the decrees of Nicaea. But those who remained in Constantinople deliberated to whom it was necessary to entrust the see here. For it is said that the emperor, admiring the life and words of Gregory, voted him worthy of this episcopate, and that the majority of the synod also consented out of respect for his virtue; but that he at first chose to preside over the church of Constantinople, but perceiving that some spoke against it, 7.7.7 especially those from Egypt, he declined; and to me this wisest of men, for all reasons, and not least for the present one, <it seems right> to be admired; for neither was he filled with pride by his eloquence, nor did he come to a desire for leading the church because of vainglory, which he had taken over when it was no longer in 7.7.8 danger. And when the bishops demanded it back, he gave back the deposit, not blaming the many toils or the dangers which he endured contending against the heresies; and yet there was nothing preventing him from remaining bishop of Constantinople; for another had already been ordained for Nazianzus. But nevertheless the synod, guarding the ancestral laws and the ecclesiastical order, took back what it had given from a willing man, not at all regarding the 7.7. advantages of the man. And since the council was a matter of very great concern to the emperor and the priests, and the ruler recommending
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συγκαθεζομένῳ τῷ πατρὶ τὴν ἴσην οὐκ ἀπένειμε τιμήν, ἀλλὰ προσελθὼν οἷά γε νηπίῳ «χαῖρε τεκνίον» ἔφη, τῷ δακτύλῳ σαίνων· κινηθεὶς δὲ πρὸς ὀργὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ ὑβρισμένῳ <τῷ> παιδὶ χαλεπαίνων, ὅτι μὴ τῆς ὁμοίας ἠξίωτο τιμῆς, ἐκβάλλεσθαι τὸν πρεσβύτην ὑβριστικῶς ἐκέλευσεν. 7.6.6 ὁ δὲ ἀστεϊζόμενος ὑποστραφεὶς εἶπεν· «οὕτω δὴ νόμισον, ὦ βασιλεῦ, καὶ τὸν οὐράνιον πατέρα ἀγανακτεῖν πρὸς τοὺς ἀνομοίως τὸν υἱὸν τιμῶντας καὶ ἥττονα τολμῶντας ἀποκαλεῖν τοῦ γεννήσαντος.» ἀγασθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ εἰρημένῳ ὁ βασιλεὺς μετεκαλέσατο τὸν ἱερέα καὶ συγγνώμην ᾔτει καὶ ἀληθῶς 7.6.7 εἰρηκέναι συνωμολόγει. καὶ ἀσφαλέστερος γενόμενος οὐ προσίετο τοὺς παρὰ ταῦτα δοξάζοντας. καὶ τὰς ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς ἔριδας καὶ συνόδους ἀπηγόρευσε, καὶ διαλέγεσθαι τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον περὶ φύσεως ἢ οὐσίας θεοῦ οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον ἐποιεῖτο νόμον θέμενος περὶ τούτου καὶ τιμωρίαν ὁρίσας. 7.7.1 ᾿Εν τάχει τε καὶ σύνοδον ἐπισκόπων ὁμοδόξων αὐτῷ συνεκάλεσε βεβαιότητός τε ἕνεκα τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ δοξάντων καὶ χειροτονίας τοῦ μέλλοντος 7.7.2 ἐπισκοπεῖν τὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως θρόνον. ὑπολαβὼν δὲ δύνασθαι συνάψαι τῇ καθόλου ἐκκλησίᾳ τοὺς καλουμένους Μακεδονιανούς, ὡς μὴ περὶ μέγα τι διαφερομένους ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸ δόγμα ζητήσει, συνεκάλεσε καὶ τούτους. συνῆλθον οὖν ἐκ μὲν τῶν ὁμοούσιον τριάδα δοξαζόντων ἀμφὶ ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα, τῶν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς Μακεδονίου αἱρέσεως ἓξ καὶ τριάκοντα, ὧν 7.7.3 οἱ πλείους ἐτύγχανον ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὸν ῾Ελλήσποντον πόλεων. ἡγοῦντο δὲ τούτων ᾿Ελεύσιός τε ὁ Κυζίκου καὶ Μαρκιανὸς ὁ Λαμψάκου, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων Τιμόθεος ὁ τὸν ᾿Αλεξανδρέων διέπων θρόνον, οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τετελευτηκότα Πέτρον ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ὄντα διαδεξάμενος, καὶ Μελέτιος ὁ ᾿Αντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος, ἤδη πρώην εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν διὰ τὴν Γρηγορίου κατάστασιν ἀφικόμενος, καὶ Κύριλλος ὁ ῾Ιεροσολύμων, μεταμεληθεὶς 7.7.4 τότε ὅτι πρότερον τὰ Μακεδονίου ἐφρόνει. σὺν τούτοις δὲ ἦσαν ᾿Αχόλιός τε ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ ∆ιόδωρος ὁ Ταρσοῦ καὶ ᾿Ακάκιος ὁ Βεροίας· οἳ δὴ πάντες ἐπαινέται τυγχάνοντες τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ βεβαιωθείσης γραφῆς ἐδέοντο σφίσιν ὁμογνώμονας γενέσθαι τοὺς ἀμφὶ ᾿Ελεύσιον, ἀναμιμνήσκοντες ὧν τε πρὸς Λιβέριον ἐπρεσβεύσαντο καὶ ὡμολόγησαν διὰ Εὐσταθίου καὶ Σιλβανοῦ 7.7.5 καὶ Θεοφίλου, ὡς εἴρηται. ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν μήποτε ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρὶ τὸν υἱὸν δοξάζειν ἀναφανδὸν εἰπόντες, εἰ καὶ ἐναντία ταῖς πρὸς Λιβέριον ὁμολογίαις ἐροῦσιν, ἀπεδήμησαν καὶ τοῖς κατὰ πόλιν ὁμοφρονοῦσιν ἔγραψαν 7.7.6 μὴ συνθέσθαι τοῖς ἐν Νικαίᾳ δεδογμένοις. οἱ δὲ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει προσμείναντες ἐβουλεύοντο τίνι δέοι ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν ἐνθάδε καθέδραν. λέγεται γὰρ βασιλέα μὲν θαυμάζοντα τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν λόγων Γρηγόριον ἄξιον ψηφίσασθαι ταύτης τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, συναινέσαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς πλείους τῆς συνόδου αἰδοῖ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀρετῆς· τὸν δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἑλέσθαι προστατεῖν τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐκκλησίας, αἰσθόμενον δέ τινας ἀντερεῖν 7.7.7 καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου παραιτήσασθαι· καί μοι τόνδε σοφώτατον ἄνδρα πάντων ἕνεκα, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ τοῦ παρόντος θαυμάζεσθαι <δεῖν δοκεῖ>· οὔτε γὰρ ὑπὸ εὐγλωττίας ἐνεπλήσθη τύφου οὔτε ὑπὸ κενῆς δόξης εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἦλθεν ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἣν παρέλαβε μηκέτι εἶναι κινδυνεύ7.7.8 ουσαν. ἀπαιτοῦσι δὲ τοῖς ἐπισκόποις τὴν παρακαταθήκην ἀπέδωκεν, οὐ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἱδρῶτας μεμψάμενος ἢ τοὺς κινδύνους οὓς ὑπέστη πρὸς τὰς αἱρέσεις ζυγομαχῶν· καίτοι γε λυποῦν οὐδὲν ἦν μηδενὸς ὄντος μένειν αὐτὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπον· ἤδη γὰρ καὶ Ναζιανζοῦ ἕτερος κεχειροτόνητο. ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ σύνοδος τοὺς πατρίους νόμους καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν τάξιν φυλάττουσα, ὃ δέδωκε παρ' ἑκόντος ἀπείληφε μηδὲν αἰδεσθεῖσα τῶν 7.7. τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πλεονεκτημάτων. ὡς ἐπὶ μεγίστῳ δὲ πεφροντισμένης βουλῆς τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν οὔσης, παρεγγυωμένου τε τοῦ κρατοῦντος