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| Of Eudoxia's Silver Statue. On account of it John is exiled a Second Time.
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Chapter XVIII.—Of
Eudoxia’s Silver Statue. On account of it John is exiled a Second
Time.
At this time a silver statue of
the Empress Eudoxia covered with a long robe was erected881
| 881From Prosper Aquitamus and Marcellinus’
Chronicon, we learn that this was done in 403 a.d., or rather the consulship of Theodosius the younger
and Rumoridius.
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upon a column of porphyry supported by a lofty base. And this stood
neither near nor far from the church named Sophia, but one-half
the breadth of the street separated them. At this statue public games
were accustomed to be performed; these John regarded as an insult
offered to the church, and having regained his ordinary freedom and
keenness of tongue, he employed his tongue against those who tolerated
them. Now while it would have been proper to induce the authorities by
a supplicatory petition to discontinue the games, he did not do this,
but employing abusive language he ridiculed those who had enjoined such
practices. The empress once more applied his expressions to herself as
indicating marked contempt toward her own person: she therefore
endeavored to procure the convocation of another council of bishops
against him. When John became aware of this, he delivered in the church
that celebrated oration commencing with these words:882
| 882This discourse entitled ‘In decollationem
Præcursoris et baptistæ Joannis’ is to be found in
Migné’s Patrologia Græcia, Vol. LIV. p. 485, and
in Savile’s edition of Chrysostom’s works, Vol. VII. 545.
Savile, however, places it among the spurious pieces, and considers it
unworthy of the genius of Chrysostom.
|
‘Again Herodias raves; again she is troubled; she dances again;
and again desires to receive John’s head in a charger.’
This, of course, exasperated the empress still more. Not long after the
following bishops arrived: Leontius bishop of Ancyra in Asia, Ammonius
of Laodicea in Pisidia, Briso of Philippi in Thrace, Acacius of
Berœa in Syria, and some others. John presented himself fearlessly
before them, and demanded an investigation of the charges which were
made against him. But the anniversary of the birth of our Saviour
having recurred, the emperor would not attend church as usual, but sent
Chrysostom a message to the effect that he should not partake of the
communion with him until he had cleared himself of the crimes with
which he stood impeached. Now as John maintained a bold and ardent
bearing, and his accusers seemed to grow faint-hearted, the bishops
present, setting aside all other matters, said they would confine
themselves to this sole consideration, that he had on his own
responsibility, after his deposition, again seated himself in the
episcopal chair, without being authorized by an ecclesiastical council.
As he alleged that sixty-five bishops who had held communion with him
had reinstated him, the partisans of Leontius objected, saying:
‘A larger number voted against you, John, in the Synod.’
But although John then contended that this was a canon of the Arians,
and not of the catholic church, and therefore it was inoperative
against him—for it had been framed in the council convened
against Athanasius at Antioch, for the subversion of the doctrine of
consubstantiality883
—the bishops would not listen
to his defence, but immediately condemned him, without considering that
by using this canon they were sanctioning the deposition of Athanasius
himself. This sentence was pronounced a little before Easter; the
emperor therefore sent to tell John that he could not go to the church,
because two Synods had condemned him. Accordingly Chrysostom was
silenced, and went no more to the church; but those who were of his
party celebrated Easter in the public baths which are called
Constantianæ, and thenceforth left the church. Among them were
many bishops and presbyters, with others of the clerical order, who
from that time held their assemblies apart in various places, and were
from him denominated ‘Johannites.’ For the space of two
months, John refrained from appearing in public; after which a decree
of the emperor sent him into exile. Thus he was led into exile by
force, and on the very day of his departure, some of the Johannites set
fire to the church, which by means of a strong easterly wind,
communicated with the senate-house. This conflagration happened on the
20th of June, under the sixth consulate of Honorius, which he bore in
conjunction with Aristænetus.884
The severities which Optatus, the prefect of Constantinople, a pagan in
religion, and a hater of the Christians, inflicted on John’s
friends, and how he put many of them to death on account of this act of
incendiarism, I ought, I believe, to pass by in silence.885
| 885Some of these details presumably are given by
Sozomen in VIII. 23 and 24.
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