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The emperor, being moderately indignant, tried to persuade him that his own advice would be more profitable for him than that of the Kral. For that man, being envious and always plotting, was trying to undo these things, which would bring great benefit to him and his subjects. For it was not to pay tribute, as that man deceives, but to spend what was necessary for the empire, unless he would also call tributes the things provided to his own soldiers. But nothing of what was said was sufficient for persuasion. But the emperor, having foretold the destruction that would come upon him from the barbarians and having testified that he would then regret his present folly, when it would be possible to gain nothing from 3.166 his regret, he himself also ceased from the attempt. All of which things came to pass later. 23. After this, the emperor, seeing a terrible confusion and disorder occurring in the church, and that those who had chosen the side of Barlaam and Akindynos were withdrawing from the communion of the rest, and many were being led astray with them, and that they were accusing the church of distorting the right doctrines and were crying out for justice and causing trouble daily and demanding to be set against them for an examination, and with Callistus the patriarch and the other hierarchs and the chosen monks, as many as held doctrines contrary to the schismatics, also likewise requesting that a synod be assembled and an examination of the doctrines be made, thinking it right not to overlook such things happening, but to provide for the peace of the church with all his power, allowed the synod to take place. And he summoned by letter both the other hierarchs and Gregory Palamas of Thessalonica, although the emperor, right from the beginning, after the civil war had ceased and the entire Roman dominion had come under him, thinking it necessary that just as the secular disputes, so too those of the church should be ended, had summoned Gregory Akindynos, who was still alive and who especially had stood at the head of this dispute with Barlaam, not once, but many times, and had ordered him to accuse his 3.167 opponents openly, if he had any charge to bring. For he especially wanted to know the truth when the parties came to debate with each other, as it would become clear from their mutual contradictions. For Akindynos himself did not dare to speak freely, but sending certain others who thought the same as he, he persuaded them to be a nuisance to the emperor, and to demand justice, as men who were being wronged and were being accused of distorting the right doctrines, when it was rather those around Palamas who were of such a kind and deserved to be cast out. Because of which the emperor granted more freedom of speech to Akindynos, and ordered him not to stir up the dispute in hiding through others, but to stand up himself openly against his opponents, and either to win, if he should appear to be advocating more pious doctrines himself, or being defeated, to be corrected, and not to be shameless in accusing others of perverting the truth, in matters in which he himself was more in the wrong. But Akindynos, when the emperor's words were reported to him, said that he very much wished to oppose his adversaries, but that he was afraid, lest, having appeared, he be required to pay the penalties for the ways in which he himself, by supporting Patriarch John during the time of the war, had offended the emperor. And the emperor immediately issued a decree, so that Akindynos should suspect no harm, but speak with freedom about the doctrines whatever he thought to be true. But even after such great 3.168 assurance he was rather unseen and had chosen the darkness until his end. And after his death, both those who had previously chosen the same side, having taken up the dispute, and also the prelate of the Ephesians and others, who, hoping to be elected to the patriarchal thrones, were vexed by their failure, having added themselves to them—although they had condemned Barlaam in the beginning and later had raged vehemently against Patriarch John and Akindynos, and by all votes had deposed that man from his office for no other reason than for having advocated the views of Barlaam and Akindynos—afterwards were causing a disturbance and of the church

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μετρίως ἀγανακτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐπεχείρει πείθειν, ὡς μᾶλλον αὐτῷ λυσιτελοίη ἡ αὐτοῦ παραίνεσις, ἢ Κράλη. φθονοῦντα γὰρ ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἐπιβουλεύοντα ἀεὶ ταῦτα πειρᾶσθαι διαλύειν, ἃ πολλὴν αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς ὑπηκόοις οἴσει τὴν ὠφέλειαν. οὐ γὰρ παρέχειν φόρους, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀπατᾷ, ἀλλ' ἀναλίσκειν εἰς δέον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρχῆς, πλὴν εἰ μὴ καὶ τὰ τοῖς σφετέροις στρατιώταις παρεχόμενα φόρους ὀνομάσει. ἀλλ' ἦν οὐδὲν ἀξιόχρεων τῶν λεγομένων εἰς πειθώ. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὴν ἐσομένην αὐτῷ φθορὰν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων προειπὼν καὶ διαμαρτυράμενος, ὡς τότε τῆς νυνὶ μεταμελήσει ἀβουλίας, ὅτε μηδὲν ἀπόνασθαι ἐξέσται τῆς 3.166 μεταμελείας, ἐπέπαυτο πρὸς τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν καὶ αὐτός. ἃ εἰς ὕστερον ἅπαντα ἐξέβαινε. κγʹ. Μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς σύγχυσιν δεινὴν καὶ ἀταξίαν ὁρῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ γινομένην, καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν λοιπῶν ἀφισταμένους τοὺς τὰ Βαρλαὰμ καὶ Ἀκινδύνου ᾑρημένους, πολλούς τε τούτοις συναπαγομένους, διαστροφήν τε τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων ἐγκαλοῦντας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ τὴν δίκην ἐπιβοωμένους καὶ παρενοχλοῦντας ὁσημέραι καὶ δεομένους ἀντικαθίστασθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐξέτασιν, Καλλίστου τε ὁμοίως τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχιερέων καὶ τῶν λογάδων τῶν μοναχῶν, ὅσοι τοῖς ἀποσχισταῖς ἐναντία ἐφρόνουν ἐν τοῖς δόγμασι, δεομένων καὶ αὐτῶν ὁμοίως σύνοδον συγκροτεῖν καὶ τῶν δογμάτων τὴν ἐξέτασιν ποιεῖσθαι, δίκαιον εἶναι οἰηθεὶς μὴ τοιαῦτα γινόμενα περιορᾷν, ἀλλὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰρήνης προνοεῖσθαι ὅση δύναμις, ἐπέτρεπε τὴν σύνοδον γενέσθαι. καὶ τούς τε ἄλλους μετεπέμπετο ἀρχιερέας γράμμασι καὶ τὸν Θεσσαλονίκης Γρηγόριον τὸν Παλαμᾶν, καίτοι βασιλεὺς εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς μετὰ τὸ πεπαῦσθαι τὸν συγγενικὸν πόλεμον καὶ πᾶσαν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν γεγενῆσθαι, ἀναγκαῖον οἰηθεὶς ὥσπερ τὰς κοσμικὰς διαφορὰς, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὰς τῆς ἐκκλησίας παύεσθαι, τὸν Ἀκίνδυνον Γρηγόριον ἔτι περιόντα, ὅστις τῆς τοιαύτης διαφορᾶς μετὰ Βαρλαὰμ μάλιστα προέστη, οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις μετεπέμψατο, καὶ ἐκέλευε τῶν ἀντικαθι 3.167 σταμένων ἀναφανδὸν κατηγορεῖν, εἴ τι ἔχοι. μάλιστα γὰρ αὐτὸν, εἰς λόγους ἀλλήλοις ἐλθόντων τῶν μερῶν, βούλεσθαι εἰδέναι τἀληθὲς, ἐκ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀντιλογιῶν γινομένου ἐναργοῦς. Ἀκίνδυνος γὰρ αὐτὸς μὲν παῤῥησιάζεσθαι οὐκ ἐθάῤῥει, ἑτέρους δέ τινας προσπέμπων τοὺς αὐτῷ φρονοῦντας ἴσα, βασιλεῖ δι' ὄχλου γίνεσθαι παρέπειθε, καὶ τὴν δίκην ἐξαιτεῖσθαι, ὡς ἀδικουμένους καὶ διαστροφὴν ἐγκαλουμένους τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων, τῶν περὶ Παλαμᾶν μᾶλλον τοιούτων ὄντων καὶ δικαίων ἐξωθεῖσθαι. δι' ἃ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀκινδύνῳ μᾶλλον παῤῥησίας μετεδίδου, καὶ ἐκέλευε μὴ αὐτὸν κρυπτόμενον δι' ἑτέρων τὴν διαφορὰν ἀνακινεῖν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἐν φανερῷ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντικαταστάντα, ἢ νικᾷν, ἂν φαίνηται μᾶλλον αὐτὸς εὐσεβέστερα πρεσβεύων, ἢ ἡττώμενος διορθοῦσθαι, καὶ μὴ ἀναισχυντεῖν, ἐφ' οἷς αὐτὸς ἀδικεῖ μᾶλλον ἑτέροις τὴν παρατροπὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐγκαλῶν. Ἀκίνδυνος δὲ, ἀπηγγελμένων αὐτῷ τῶν βασιλέως λόγων, μάλιστα μὲν ἔφασκε βούλεσθαι ἀντικαθίστασθαι τοῖς ἀντιλέγουσι, δεδοικέναι δὲ, μὴ φανερὸς γενόμενος δίκας ἀπαιτῆται, ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς παρὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον τῷ πατριάρχῃ Ἰωάννῃ συναιρόμενος προσέκρουσε πρὸς βασιλέα. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτίκα θέσπισμα ἐξετίθει, ὥστε μηδεμίαν Ἀκίνδυνον βλάβην ὑφορᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ παῤῥησίᾳ περὶ τῶν δογμάτων λέγειν ὅσα οἴεται εἶναι ἀληθῆ. ὁ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην 3.168 ἄδειαν μᾶλλον ἀφανὴς ἦν καὶ τὸν ζόφον ᾑρημένος ἄχρι τελευτῆς. καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν οἵ τε πρότερον τὰ ἴσα ᾑρημένοι, διαδεξάμενοι τὴν διαφορὰν, ἔτι τε ὁ τῆς Ἐφεσίων πρόεδρος καὶ ἄλλοι, ὅσοι αἱρεθήσεσθαι ἐλπίζοντες ἐπὶ τῶν πατριαρχικῶν θρόνων ἠγανάκτουν διὰ τὴν ἀποτυχίαν, προσθέμενοι ἐκείνοις, καίτοι Βαρλαάμ τε καταψηφισάμενοι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ ὕστερον κατὰ Ἰωάννου τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ Ἀκινδύνου πνεύσαντες σφοδρὸν, καὶ ψήφοις ἁπάσαις ἐκεῖνον καθελόντες τῆς ἀρχῆς δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἢ τὸ τὰ Βαρλαὰμ καὶ Ἀκινδύνου πεπρεσβευκέναι, ἐθορύβουν τε ὕστερον καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας