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to make a careful examination, so that one who was as good and noble as possible might be found, to whom it would be necessary to entrust the high priesthood of the greatest and ruling city, the synod was not of the same opinion, but each thought it right to ordain someone of their own favorites. 7.8.1 At this time, a certain Nectarius, a Tarsian from Cilicia, of the most illustrious order of the senate, was staying in Constantinople. And being already prepared to depart for his native country, he went to Diodorus, the bishop of Tarsus, 7.8.2 to see if he wished to write any letters that he might carry. It happened that Diodorus was then considering by himself whom he ought to propose for the ordination that was being earnestly sought. And seeing Nectarius, he thought him worthy of the episcopate, and he was immediately added to his thoughts, <having considered> the man's gray hair and 7.8.3 venerable appearance and the affability of his manners. And as if for some other purpose, he brought him to the bishop of Antioch and praised him and urged him to support him. But he, since many very distinguished men were candidates for the matter under consideration, laughed at the vote of Diodorus; nevertheless, 7.8.4 having called Nectarius to him, he bade him to wait for a short time. Not long after, the emperor commanded the priests to write on a paper the names of those whom each judged worthy for the ordination, reserving for himself the choice of one from all of them, some wrote down some names, others others, but the leader of the church of the Antiochians wrote down those he wished, and last of all he adds Nectarius, as a favor to Diodorus. 7.8.5 And when the emperor read the list of those who had been written down, he stopped at Nectarius. And becoming thoughtful, he deliberated with himself at length, placing his finger on the last name written. And going back up to the beginning, he went through them all again, 7.8.6 and he chooses Nectarius. And everyone was amazed, and they inquired who this Nectarius was, and of what profession, and from where. But when they learned that the man had not even partaken of the mysteries, they were still more astonished at the unexpectedness of the emperor's decision. And Diodorus, I think, was ignorant of this; for he would not have dared, had he known, to give his vote for the priesthood to one who was still uninitiated, but, as was 7.8.7 likely, supposed that since he was gray-haired he had long since been initiated. But these things did not happen without God's will; since even the emperor, when he learned that he was uninitiated, remained of the same opinion, although many priests opposed it. But when all yielded and agreed to the vote of the ruler, he was initiated. And while still clothed in his baptismal robe, he was proclaimed by the common vote of the synod bishop of Constantinople. 7.8.8 And it is believed by many that these things happened thus because God guided the emperor; but I do not know for certain whether this is true or not; I am persuaded, however, that what happened was not accomplished without divine influence, both looking to the unexpected nature of the ordination and considering what happened afterwards, how God brought this priesthood to a most gentle, noble, and good man. And so the matters concerning the ordination of Nectarius were, as I have learned. 7..1 After these things, Nectarius himself and the other priests, having come together, decreed that the faith of the synod in Nicaea should remain authoritative and that every heresy should be renounced, and that the churches everywhere should be administered according to the ancient canons, and that the bishops should remain in their own churches and not rashly cross borders nor, uninvited, impose themselves upon ordinations that do not concern them in any way, as had often happened before, when the 7..2 universal church was being persecuted indiscriminately. and that the synod of the province should manage and conduct the affairs arising in each, as might seem best. And that after the bishop of Rome, the bishop of Constantinople should have the rights of precedence, 7..3 as presiding over the throne of New Rome. (For already the city not only had this name and used a senate and orders of the people and magistracies in like manner, but contracts were also judged according to the laws of the Romans in Italy, and the rights and privileges were equal for both in all respects.) 7..4 And that Maximus neither

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ἀκριβῆ ποιήσασθαι βάσανον, ὅπως ὅτι μάλιστα καλός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς εὑρεθείη, ᾧ δέοι πιστεῦσαι τῆς μεγίστης καὶ βασιλευούσης πόλεως τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην, οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην εἶχεν ἡ σύνοδος, ἕκαστοι δέ τινα τῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτηδείων ἠξίουν χειροτονεῖν. 7.8.1 ᾿Εν τούτῳ δὲ Νεκτάριός τις Ταρσεὺς τῆς Κιλικίας τοῦ λαμπροτάτου τάγματος τῆς συγκλήτου ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει διέτριβεν. ἤδη δὲ παρεσκευασμένος εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἀπιέναι παραγίνεται πρὸς ∆ιόδωρον τὸν Ταρσοῦ 7.8.2 ἐπίσκοπον, εἴ γε βούλοιτο γράφειν ἐπιστολὰς κομισόμενος. ἔτυχε δὲ τότε διανοούμενος καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὁ ∆ιόδωρος, τίνα χρὴ προβαλέσθαι εἰς τὴν σπουδαζομένην χειροτονίαν. καὶ ἰδὼν εἰς Νεκτάριον ἄξιον εἶναι τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἐνόμισε καὶ κατὰ νοῦν εὐθὺς αὐτῷ προσετέθη, πολιὰν τἀνδρὸς καὶ εἶδος 7.8.3 ἱεροπρεπὲς καὶ τὸ προσηνὲς τῶν τρόπων <λογισάμενος>. καὶ ὡς ἐπ' ἄλλο τι ἀγαγὼν αὐτὸν παρὰ τὸν ᾿Αντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπον ἐπῄνει καὶ σπουδάζειν αὐτῷ παρεκάλει. ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ μεμεριμνημένῳ πράγματι πολλῶν ἐπισημοτάτων ἀνδρῶν ὑποψήφων ὄντων ἐγέλασε τὴν ∆ιοδώρου ψῆφον· ὅμως δὲ πρὸς 7.8.4 ἑαυτὸν καλέσας Νεκτάριον περιμένειν βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἐκέλευσεν. οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ προστάξαντος τοῦ βασιλέως τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐγγράψαι χάρτῃ τὰς προσηγορίας ὧν ἕκαστοι δοκιμάζουσιν εἰς τὴν χειροτονίαν ἀξίων, ἑαυτῷ δὲ φυλάξαντος ἐκ πάντων τοῦ ἑνὸς τὴν αἵρεσιν, ἄλλοι μὲν ἄλλους ἐνέγραψαν, ὁ δὲ τῆς ᾿Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας ἡγούμενος ἐγγράφει μὲν οὓς ἐβούλετο, ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων προστίθησι Νεκτάριον διὰ τὴν πρὸς ∆ιόδωρον χάριν. 7.8.5 ἀναγνοὺς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν ἐγγραφέντων τὸν κατάλογον, ἔστη ἐπὶ Νεκταρίῳ. καὶ σύννους γενόμενος σχολῇ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἐβουλεύετο τὸν δάκτυλον ἐπιθεὶς τῇ τελευταίᾳ γραφῇ. καὶ ἀναδραμὼν εἰς τὴν ἀρχὴν αὖθις πάντας ἐπῆλθε, 7.8.6 καὶ Νεκτάριον αἱρεῖται. θαῦμα δὲ πᾶσιν ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐπυνθάνοντο ὅστις εἴη Νεκτάριος οὗτος καὶ ποδαπὸς τὸ ἐπιτήδευμα καὶ πόθεν. μαθόντες δὲ μηδὲ μυστηρίων μετεσχηκέναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἔτι μᾶλλον κατεπλάγησαν πρὸς τὸ παράδοξον τῆς βασιλέως κρίσεως. ἠγνόει δὲ τοῦτο, οἶμαι, καὶ ∆ιόδωρος· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐθάρρησεν εἰδὼς ἔτι ἀμυήτῳ δοῦναι ψῆφον ἱερωσύνης, ἀλλ' οἷα 7.8.7 εἰκὸς νομίσας πολιὸν ὄντα [μὴ] καὶ πάλαι μεμυῆσθαι. οὐκ ἀθεεὶ δὲ ταῦτα συνέβαινεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀμύητον αὐτὸν εἶναι μαθὼν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔμεινε γνώμης πολλῶν ἱερέων ἀντιτεινόντων. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντες εἶξαν καὶ τῇ ψήφῳ τοῦ κρατοῦντος συνέβησαν, ἐμυήθη. καὶ τὴν μυστικὴν ἐσθῆτα ἔτι ἠμφιεσμένος κοινῇ ψήφῳ τῆς συνόδου ἀναγορεύεται Κωνσταντινουπόλεως 7.8.8 ἐπίσκοπος. ταῦτα δὲ οὕτως γενέσθαι πολλοῖς πιστεύεται τοῦ θεοῦ χρήσαντος τῷ βασιλεῖ· οὐκ ἀκριβῶ δὲ τοῦτο πότερον ἀληθὲς ἢ οὔ· πείθομαί γε μὴν οὐκ ἐκτὸς θείας ῥοπῆς ἐπιτελεσθῆναι τὸ συμβάν, καὶ εἰς τὸ παράδοξον τῆς χειροτονίας ἀφορῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα σκοπῶν, ὡς ἐπὶ πραότατον καὶ καλὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν ταυτηνὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ὁ θεὸς ἤγαγεν. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀμφὶ τὴν Νεκταρίου χειροτονίαν ὧδε ἔσχεν, ὡς ἐπυθόμην. 7..1 Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συνελθόντες αὐτός τε Νεκτάριος καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἱερεῖς ἐψηφίσαντο τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου κυρίαν μένειν τὴν πίστιν καὶ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν ἀποκεκηρύχθαι, διοικεῖσθαι δὲ τὰς πανταχῇ ἐκκλησίας κατὰ τοὺς πάλαι κανόνας, καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων μένειν ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ μὴ εἰκῇ ταῖς ὑπερορίαις ἐπιβαίνειν μήτε ἀκλήτους χειροτονίαις μηδὲν αὐτοῖς προσηκούσαις σφᾶς ἐπιβάλλειν, καθὰ πρότερον ὡς ἔτυχε διωκομένης τῆς 7..2 καθόλου ἐκκλησίας πολλάκις συνέβη. τὰ δὲ παρ' ἑκάστῃ συμβαίνοντα τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους σύνοδον, ὡς ἂν ἄριστα φανείη, διοικεῖν τε καὶ πράττειν. μετὰ δὲ τὸν ῾Ρώμης τὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπον τὰ πρεσβεῖα ἔχειν 7..3 ὡς Νέας ῾Ρώμης τὸν θρόνον ἐπιτροπεύοντα. (ἤδη γὰρ οὐ μόνον ταύτην εἶχε τὴν προσηγορίαν ἡ πόλις καὶ γερουσίᾳ καὶ τάγμασι δήμων καὶ ἀρχαῖς ὁμοίως ἐχρῆτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ συμβόλαια κατὰ τὰ νόμιμα τῶν ἐν ᾿Ιταλίᾳ ῾Ρωμαίων ἐκρίνετο, καὶ τὰ δίκαια καὶ τὰ γέρα περὶ πάντα ἑκατέρᾳ ἰσάζετο.) 7..4 Μάξιμον δὲ μήτε