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| The Heresy of Macedonius.
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Chapter XLV.—The
Heresy of Macedonius.
Macedonius on being ejected
from Constantinople, bore his condemnation ill and became restless; he
therefore associated himself with the other faction that had deposed
Acacius and his party at Seleucia, and sent a deputation to Sophronius
and Eleusius, to encourage them to adhere to that creed which was first
promulgated at Antioch, and afterwards confirmed at Seleucia, proposing
to give it the counterfeit446
| 446παράσημος ;
just as a counterfeit coin has the appearance of the genuine, and is
meant to deceive those who do not investigate its genuineness, so the
term ‘homoioousios’ (ὁμοιοούσιος
), the author implies, was meant to deceive the popular ear by its
likeness to the genuine ‘homoousios.’
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name of the ‘homoiousian’ creed.447
| 447See Theodoret, H. E. II. 6.
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By this means he drew around him a great number of adherents, who from
him are still denominated ‘Macedonians.’ And although such
as dissented from the Acacians at the Seleucian Synod had not
previously used the term homoiousios, yet from that period they
distinctly asserted it. There was, however, a popular report that this
term did not originate with
Macedonius, but was the invention rather of Marathonius, who a little
before had been set over the church at Nicomedia; on which account the
maintainers of this doctrine were also called
‘Marathonians.’ To this party Eustathius joined himself,
who for the reasons before stated had been ejected from the church at
Sebastia. But when Macedonius began to deny the Divinity of the Holy
Spirit in the Trinity, Eustathius said: ‘I can neither admit that
the Holy Spirit is God, nor can I dare affirm him to be a
creature.’ For this reason those who hold the homoousion
of the Son call these heretics ‘Pneumatomachi.’448
| 448Πνευματομάχοι
, lit. ‘active enemies of the Spirit.’
|
By what means these Macedonians became so numerous in the Hellespont, I
shall state in its proper place.449
The Acacians meanwhile became extremely anxious that another Synod
should be convened at Antioch, in consequence of having changed their
mind respecting their former assertion of the likeness ‘in all
things’ of the Son to the Father. A small number of them
therefore assembled in the following consulate450
which was that of Taurus and Florentius, at Antioch in Syria, where the
emperor was at that time residing, Euzoïus being bishop. A
discussion was then renewed on some of those points which they had
previously determined, in the course of which they declared that the
term ‘homoios’ ought to be erased from the form of
faith which had been published both at Ariminum and Constantinople; and
they no longer concealed but openly declared that the Son was
altogether unlike the Father, not merely in relation to his essence,
but even as it respected his will; asserting boldly also, as Arius had
already done, that he was made of nothing. Those in that city who
favored the heresy of Aëtius, gave their assent to this opinion;
from which circumstance in addition to the general appellation of
Arians, they were also termed ‘Anomœans,’451
| 451᾽Ανόμοιοι, because
they held that the essence of the Son was ‘dissimilar,’
ἀνόμοιος, to that of the
Father.
|
and ‘Exucontians,’452
| 452᾽Εξουκόντιοι
, from the phrase ἐξ
οὐκ ὄντων =
‘from [things] not existing,’ because they asserted that
the Son was made ex nihilo. The term might be put roughly in
some such form as ‘Fromnothingians.’
|
by those at Antioch who embraced the homoousian, who nevertheless were
at that time divided among themselves on account of Meletius, as I have
before observed. Being therefore questioned by them, how they dared to
affirm that the Son is unlike the Father, and has his existence from
nothing, after having acknowledged him ‘God of God’ in
their former creed? they endeavored to elude this objection by such
fallacious subterfuges as these. ‘The expression, “God
of God,”’ said they, ‘is to be understood in the
same sense as the words of the apostle,453
“but all things of God.” Wherefore the Son is of
God, as being one of these all things: and it is for this
reason the words “according to the Scriptures” are added in
the draught of the creed.’ The author of this sophism was George
bishop of Laodicea, who being unskilled in such phrases, was ignorant
of the manner in which Origen had formerly explained these peculiar
expressions of the apostle, having thoroughly investigated the matter.
But notwithstanding these evasive cavilings, they were unable to bear
the reproach and contumely they had drawn upon themselves, and fell
back upon the creed which they had before put forth at Constantinople;
and so each one retired to his own district. George returning to
Alexandria, resumed his authority over the churches there, Athanasius
still not having made his appearance. Those in that city who were
opposed to his sentiments he persecuted; and conducting himself with
great severity and cruelty, he rendered himself extremely odious to the
people. At Jerusalem Arrenius454
| 454Written ‘Errenius’ in the Allat. ms.
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was placed over the church instead of Cyril: we may also remark that
Heraclius was ordained bishop there after him, and after him Hilary. At
length, however, Cyril returned to Jerusalem, and was again invested
with the presidency over the church there. About the same time another
heresy sprang up, which arose from the following circumstance.
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