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he insisted that he had been wronged concerning the trial and cried out against the high priests who had deposed him. Therefore, all went to the emperor, except for the three who had followed him, and demanded that he be expelled from Byzantium, so that in this way the sedition and disturbance in the church might cease. It seemed indeed also to the emperor that this would resolve the sedition, and he was sent to Didymoteichon. Not long afterwards, however, unable to bear such a great change—for the change for him had turned from the height of good fortune completely to the opposite—first he fell ill, then he also went out of his mind, not indeed completely, but being of sound mind at times, he would again be carried away from his established state. When the emperor learned of these things, he ordered him again to be brought back to Byzantium, so that he might receive care from the physicians. But having returned, he did not hold on for very long, but being overcome by the illness and the grief, he died after a short time. These things, then, happened later. But at that time, immediately after his deposition, there was much discussion about who would preside over the church. Indeed, all the others immediately thought no one was more just than Palamas to be raised to the throne, not only on account of his virtue and the philosophy of his life and his precision and experience concerning divine doctrines, but also because openly, right from the beginning, he had opposed the emperor regarding those who had waged war, saying that he had unjustly initiated the war for the ruin and destruction of the common good, for which reasons he was also condemned to live in prison from the beginning until the end. But among the high priests and the other distinguished monks there was much dispute about the matter. For many of the more learned and especially worthy of mention, who during the time of the war on behalf of the emperor, some having been confined in their houses, others in prisons, and others having been mistreated in other ways, all hoped that the throne would be a reward for them for their labors, and each put himself forward before the others. But the emperor, observing the contention and considering that some sedition would spring up in the church from this unseemly strife, decided to do nothing on his own, but to entrust the choice of the one who would preside to the high priests. But the majority, having agreed, chose Isidore, a man good in his ways and gentle and especially gifted for holiness and excellently trained in discourse and precision of doctrine. And the emperor immediately ratified the election; and not long after he was also consecrated. So all the others were content to be ranked under him; but as many as had sought the throne for themselves were displeased at being overlooked, and finally they were led to such a degree of absurdity by love of power that, having no way to retaliate against the emperor and the bishops who had overlooked them, they gave themselves over to the party of those who held the opinions of Akindynos and created a great schism in the church, tearing away both themselves and another multitude, they who shortly before had cast out John for these same reasons of the throne and seemed to be foremost champions of the doctrines, having changed suddenly on account of being neglected, and becoming vindicators of what they had accused. Such things, therefore, one might justly attribute to the original common enemy of the human race. For it was necessary for those men, being both intelligent and of much account, if nothing else, at least to understand this: that, although there were many who seemed worthy for the presidency, it was necessary for one to be put forward, and for the rest to be led. But now, having given themselves over completely to a lack of judgment through the desire for empty glory, they encompassed both themselves and not a few others with the greatest dishonor and shipwreck concerning the faith. These things, then, will be spoken of later a little better, as it happened in the course of events. But at that time the emperor, seeing the division of those who had cut themselves off from the rest of the body of the church, was unbearably vexed and grieved, not only on account of the difference, which they had with the rest concerning the correct doctrines of the faith, but also because they were his friends and among those who had endured many hardships on his behalf during the time of the war, whom he thought it was necessary to reward with many

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ἠδικῆσθαι διετείνετο περὶ τὴν δίκην καὶ τῶν καθελόντων ἀρχιερέων κατεβόα. ὅθεν πάντες προσελθόντες βασιλεῖ πλὴν οἳ ἐκείνῳ συνείποντο τριῶν, ἠξίουν Βυζαντίου ἐκβληθῆναι, ὡς οὕτω παυσομένης τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν στάσεως καὶ ταραχῆς. ἐδόκει δὴ κἀκείνῳ τὴν στάσιν τοῦτο λύσειν, καὶ ἐπέμπετο εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον. οὐ πολὺ δὲ ὕστερον τὴν τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν, ἐκ γὰρ ἄκρας εὐτυχίας εἰς τοὐναντίον ἅπαν ἡ μεταβολὴ ἐκείνῳ περιέστη, πρῶτα μὲν ἐνόσησεν, ἔπειτα ἐξέστη καὶ τῶν φρενῶν, οὐ μὴν καθάπαξ, ἀλλ' ἐνιότε καὶ σωφρονῶν, αὖθις τοῦ καθεστηκότος ἐξεφέρετο. ἃ δὴ πυθόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, αὖθις αὐτὸν ἐκέλευεν εἰς Βυζάν 3.25 τιον ἐπανάγειν, ὥστ' ἐπιμελείας τυχεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν. ἐπανελθὼν δὲ οὐκ ἀντέσχεν ἐπιπλεῖστον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς λύπης κατεργασθεὶς, ἐτελεύτησε μετὰ μικρόν. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον. τότε δὲ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν καθαίρεσιν ἐκείνου λόγος ἦν πολὺς περὶ τοῦ προστησομένου τῆς ἐκκλησίας. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες εὐθὺς οὐδένα ᾤοντο δικαιότερον εἶναι Παλαμᾶ ἀνάγεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν θρόνων, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν μόνον καὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸν βίον φιλοσοφίαν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὰ θεῖα δόγματα ἀκρίβειαν καὶ ἐμπειρίαν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ φανερῶς εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς πρὸς τοὺς πεπολεμηκότας ἀντέστη βασιλεῖ, φάσκων ἀδίκως καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐπὶ φθορᾷ καὶ λύμῃ τὸν πόλεμον κεκινηκέναι, δι' ἃ καὶ δεσμωτήριον οἰκεῖν κατεκρίθη ἄχρι τέλους ἀπαρχῆς. τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις λογάσι τῶν μοναχῶν πολλὴ ἦν ἡ ἀμφισβήτησις περὶ τοῦ πράγματος. πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν λογιωτέρων καὶ μάλιστα ἀξίων λόγου, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον ὑπὲρ βασιλέως, οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις καθειρχθέντες, ἕτεροι δὲ ἐν δεσμωτηρίοις, καὶ ἄλλοι ἑτέροις τρόποις κακωθέντες, πάντες ἤλπιζον ἀμοιβὴν αὐτοῖς τῶν πόνων ἔσεσθαι τὸν θρόνον καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος προὐτίθει. συνορῶν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν φιλονεικίαν καὶ στοχαζόμενος ἀναφυήσεσθαί τινα ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ στάσιν ἐκ τῆς οὐ καλῆς ταύτης ἔριδος, ἐσκέψατο μηδὲν ποιεῖν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσι τὴν αἵρεσιν τοῦ προστη 3.26 σομένου ἐπιτρέπειν. συμφωνήσαντες δὲ οἱ πλείους εἵλοντο Ἰσίδωρον, ἄνδρα ἀγαθὸν τοὺς τρόπους καὶ ἐπιεικῆ καὶ πρὸς ἁγιωσύνην μάλιστα ἔχοντα εὐφυῶς καὶ περὶ λόγους καὶ ἀκρίβειαν δογμάτων κάλλιστα ἐξησκημένον. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτίκα ἐπεψήφιζε τὴν ἐκλογήν· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καὶ ἐχειροτονεῖτο. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες τὸ ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ ἔστεργον τετάχθαι· ὅσοι δὲ αὐτοῖς προεμνηστεύοντο τὸν θρόνον, ἐδυσχέραινον περιορώμενοι, καὶ τέλος εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξήχθησαν ὑπὸ φιλαρχίας ἀτοπίας, ὥστε οὐκ ἔχοντες, ᾗ χρὴ ἀμύνεσθαι βασιλέα καὶ τοὺς περιιδόντας ἐπισκόπους, τῇ τῶν τὰ Ἀκινδύνου φρονούντων μερίδι ἐπέδωκαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ῥῆγμα μέγα κατεσκεύασαν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, σφᾶς αὐτούς τε καὶ πλῆθος ἄλλο ἀποῤῥήξαντες, οἱ μικρῷ πρόσθεν Ἰωάννην τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων ἕνεκα τῶν θρόνων ἐκβαλόντες καὶ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα δοκοῦντες εἶναι προστάται τῶν δογμάτων, μεταβαλόντες ἐξαίφνης διὰ τὸ ἠμελῆσθαι, καὶ ὧν κατηγόρουν γενόμενοι ἐκδικηταί. τὰ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα τῷ ἐξαρχῆς πολεμίῳ κοινῷ τοῦ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένους ἄν τις προσλογίζοιτο δικαίως. ἔδει γὰρ ἐκείνους συνετούς τε ὄντας καὶ πολλοῦ ἀξίους λόγου, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο πάντως ἐννοεῖν, ὡς, πολλῶν ὄντων τῶν δοκούντων ἀξιόχρεων πρὸς προστασίαν, ἕνα προβεβλῆσθαι ἦν ἀνάγκη, τοὺς λοιποὺς δὲ ἄγεσθαι. νυνὶ δ' ἐπιτρέψαντες ἑαυτοὺς καθάπαξ ἀκρισίᾳ δόξης κενῆς ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ἀδοξίᾳ τε μεγίστῃ καὶ ναυαγίῳ περὶ τὴν πίστιν σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ ἄλλους οὐκ 3.27 ὀλίγους περιέβαλον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον εἰρήσεται ὀλίγῳ βέλτιον, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι συνέβη. τότε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν διάστασιν ἰδὼν τῶν διατεμόντων ἑαυτοὺς τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἤχθετο μὲν οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς καὶ ἐλυπεῖτο, οὐ μόνον τῆς διαφορᾶς ἕνεκα, ἣν διεφέροντο πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς περὶ τῶν ὀρθῶν τῆς πίστεως δογμάτων, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τῶν φίλων ἦσαν καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πολλὰ ἀνασχομένων δυσχερῆ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον, οὓς ᾤετο εἶναι δεῖν πολλαῖς ἀμείβεσθαι