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| After the Death of Constans, the Western Emperor, Paul and Athanasius are again ejected from their Sees: the Former on his Way into Exile is slain; but the Latter escapes by Flight.
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Chapter XXVI.—After
the Death of Constans, the Western Emperor, Paul and Athanasius are
again ejected from their Sees: the Former on his Way into Exile is
slain; but the Latter escapes by Flight.
The conflux of these disastrous
events occurred during a short space of time; for they happened in the
fourth year after the council at Sardica, during the consulate of
Sergius and Nigrinian.344
When these circumstances were published, the entire sovereignty of the
empire seemed to devolve on Constantius alone, who, being accordingly
proclaimed in the East sole Autocrat, made the most vigorous
preparations against the usurpers. Hereupon the adversaries of
Athanasius, thinking a favorable crisis had arisen, again framed the
most calumnious charges against him, before his arrival at Alexandria;
assuring the Emperor Constantius that he was subverting all Egypt and
Libya. And his having undertaken to ordain out of the limits of his own
diocese, tended not a little to accredit the accusations against him.
Meanwhile in this conjuncture, Athanasius entered Alexandria; and
having convened a council of the bishops in Egypt, they confirmed by their unanimous vote, what had
been determined in the Synod at Sardica, and that assembled at
Jerusalem by Maximus. But the emperor, who had been long since imbued
with Arian doctrine, reversed all the indulgent proceedings he had so
recently resolved on. And first of all he ordered that Paul, bishop of
Constantinople, should be sent into exile; whom those who conducted
strangled, at Cucusus in Cappadocia. Marcellus was also ejected, and
Basil again made ruler of the church at Ancyra. Lucius of Adrianople,
being loaded with chains, died in prison. The reports which were made
concerning Athanasius so wrought on the emperor’s mind, that in
an ungovernable fury he commanded him to be put to death wherever he
might be found: he moreover included Theodulus and Olympius, who
presided over churches in Thrace, in the same proscription. Athanasius,
however, was not ignorant of the intentions of the emperor; but
learning of them he once more had recourse to flight, and so escaped
the emperor’s menaces. The Arians denounced this retreat as
criminal, particularly Narcissus, bishop of Neronias in Cilicia, George
of Laodicæa, and Leontius who then had the oversight of the church
at Antioch. This last person, when a presbyter, had been divested of
his rank,345
| 345Cf. Apost. Cann. XXII. and XXIII.; according
to these any cleric was to be deposed if found guilty of such a crime.
The Council of Nicæa also passed a canon on the subject which is
as follows: ‘If a man has been mutilated by physicians during
sickness, or by barbarians, he may remain among the clergy; but if a
man in good health has mutilated himself, he must resign his post after
the matter has been proved among the clergy, and in future no one who
has thus acted should be ordained. But as it is evident that what has
just been said only concerns those who have thus acted with intention,
and have dared to mutilate themselves, those who have been made eunuchs
by barbarians or by their masters will be allowed, conformably to the
canon, to remain among the clergy, if in other respects they are
worthy.’ Canon I. See Hefele, Hist. of the
Councils, Vol. I. p. 375, 376.
|
because in order to remove all suspicion of illicit intercourse with a
woman named Eustolium, with whom he spent a considerable portion of his
time, he had castrated himself and thenceforward lived more
unreservedly with her, on the ground that there could be no longer any
ground for evil surmises. Afterwards however, at the earnest desire of
the Emperor Constantius, he was created bishop of the church at
Antioch, after Stephen, the successor of Placitus. So much respecting
this.
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