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| The Emperor Constantius, through an Order to Philip the Prætorian Prefect, secures the Exile of Paul, and the Installation of Macedonius in his See.
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Chapter XVI.—The
Emperor Constantius, through an Order to Philip the Prætorian
Prefect, secures the Exile of Paul, and the Installation of Macedonius
in his See.
When the Emperor Constantius,
who then held his court at Antioch, heard that Paul had again obtained
possession of the episcopal throne, he was excessively enraged at his
presumption. He therefore despatched a written order to Philip, the
Prætorian Prefect, whose power exceeded that of the other
governors of provinces, and who was styled the second person from the
emperor,288
| 288δεύτερος
μετὰ
βασιλέα; not only second in
rank, but first after him in power, ‘his right-hand man.’
Cf. Vergil’s alter ab illo, Ecl. V. 49, and VIII. 39.
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to drive Paul out of the church again, and introduce Macedonius into it
in his place. Now the prefect Philip, dreading an insurrectionary
movement among the people, used artifice to entrap the bishop: keeping,
therefore, the emperor’s mandate secret, he went to the public bath called Zeuxippus, and on
pretense of attending to some public affairs, sent to Paul with every
demonstration of respect, requesting his attendance there, on the
ground that his presence was indispensable. The bishop came; and as he
came in obedience to this summons, the prefect immediately showed him
the emperor’s order; the bishop patiently submitted condemnation
without a hearing. But as Philip was afraid of the violence of the
multitude—for great numbers had gathered around the building to
see what would take place, for their suspicions had been aroused by
current reports—he commanded one of the bath doors to be opened
which communicated with the imperial palace, and through that Paul was
carried off, put on board a vessel provided for the purpose, and so
sent into exile immediately. The prefect directed him to go to
Thessalonica, the metropolis of Macedonia, whence he had derived his
origin from his ancestors; commanding him to reside in that city, but
granting him permission to visit other cities of Illyricum, while he
strictly forbade his passing into any portion of the Eastern empire.
Thus was Paul, contrary to his expectation, at once expelled from the
church, and from the city, and again hurried off into exile. Philip,
the imperial prefect, leaving the bath, immediately proceeded to the
church. Together with him, as if thrown there by an engine, Macedonius
rode seated in the same seat with the prefect in the chariot seen by
everybody, and a military guard with drawn swords was about them. The
multitude was completely overawed by this spectacle, and both Arians
and Homoousians hastened to the church, every one endeavoring to secure
an entrance there. As the prefect with Macedonius came near the church,
an irrational panic seized the multitude and even the soldiers
themselves; for as the assemblage was so numerous and no room to admit
the passage of the prefect and Macedonius was found, the soldiers
attempted to thrust aside the people by force. But the confined space
into which they were crowded together rendering it impossible to
recede, the soldiers imagined that resistance was offered, and that the
populace intentionally stopped the passage; they accordingly began to
use their naked swords, and to cut down those that stood in their way.
It is affirmed that about 3150 persons were massacred on this occasion;
of whom the greater part fell under the weapons of the soldiers, and
the rest were crushed to death by the desperate efforts of the
multitude to escape their violence. After such distinguished
achievements, Macedonius, as if he had not been the author of any
calamity, but was altogether guiltless of what had been perpetrated,
was seated in the episcopal chair by the prefect, rather than by the
ecclesiastical canon. Thus, then, by means of so many murders in the
church, Macedonius and the Arians grasped the supremacy in the
churches. About this period the emperor built the great church called
Sophia, adjoining to that named Irene, which being
originally of small dimensions, the emperor’s father had
considerably enlarged and adorned. In the present day both are seen
within one enclosure, and have but one appellation.
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