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| Gregory, finding Some Dissatisfaction about his Appointment, abdicates the Episcopate of Constantinople. The Emperor orders Demophilus the Arian Bishop either to assent to the 'Homoousion,' or leave the City. He chooses the Latter.
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Chapter VII.—Gregory,
finding Some Dissatisfaction about his Appointment, abdicates the
Episcopate of Constantinople. The Emperor orders Demophilus the Arian
Bishop either to assent to the ‘Homoousion,’ or leave the
City. He chooses the Latter.
Now at that time Gregory of
Nazianzus, after his translation to Constantinople, held his assemblies
within the city in a small oratory, adjoining to which the emperors
afterwards built a magnificent church, and named it
Anastasia.697
| 697It appears from several places in Gregory’s
writings (cf. Somn. de Anastasia, Ad Popul. Anast. and Carmen
de Vita Sua, 1709) that he himself had used the name of Anastasia
in speaking of the church, so that Socrates’ statement that it
was so called afterwards must be taken as inaccurate. It also appears
that Gregory gave the name Anastasia to the house which he used
as a church, and meant to signify by the name (Anastation =
Resurrection) the resurrection of the orthodox community of
Constantinople. It is possible, of course, that Socrates here means
that the emperors later adopted the name given by Gregory on the
occasion of building a large church in place of the original chapel.
See also on Gregory’s stay at Constantinople Sozom. VII. 5;
Philostorgius, IX. 19; Theodoret, V. 8.
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But Gregory, who far excelled in eloquence and piety all those of the
age in which he lived, understanding that some murmured at his
preferment because he was a stranger, after expressing his joy at the
emperor’s arrival, resigned the bishopric of Constantinople. When
the emperor found the church in this state, he began to consider by
what means he could make peace, effect a union, and enlarge the
churches. Immediately, therefore, he intimated his desire to
Demophilus,698
| 698Cf. Philostorgius, IX. 10 and 14, whence it appears
that Demophilus was the Arian bishop who succeeded Eudoxius in
Constantinople.
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who presided over the Arian party; and enquired whether he was willing
to assent to the Nicene Creed, and thus reunite the people, and
establish peace. Upon Demophilus’ declining to accede to this
proposal, the emperor said to him, ‘Since you reject peace and
harmony, I order you to quit the churches.’ When Demophilus heard
this, weighing with himself the difficulty of contending against
superior power, he convoked his followers in the church, and standing
in the midst of them, thus spoke: ‘Brethren, it is written in the
Gospel,699
“If they persecute you in one city, flee ye into another.”
Since therefore the emperor needs the churches, take notice that we
will henceforth hold our assemblies without the city.’ Having
said this he departed; not however as rightly apprehending the meaning
of that expression in the Evangelist, for the real import of the sacred oracle is that such as
would avoid the course of this world must seek the heavenly Jerusalem.700
| 700A specimen of allegorical interpretation due to the
influence of Origen. See Farrar, Hist. of Interpretation, p. 183
seq. For similar cases of allegorizing, see Huet, Origeniana
passim, and De la Rue, Origenis Opera, App.
240–244.
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He therefore went outside the city gates, and there in future held his
assemblies. With him also Lucius went out, who being ejected from
Alexandria, as we have before related,701
had made his escape to Constantinople, and there abode. Thus the
Arians, after having been in possession of the churches for forty
years, were in consequence of their opposition to the peace proposed by
the emperor Theodosius, driven out of the city, in Gratian’s
fifth consulate,702
| 702The same consulate as at the end of chap. 6; i.e.
380 a.d.
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and the first of Theodosius Angustus, on the 26th of November. The
adherents of the ‘homoousian’ faith in this manner regained
possession of the churches.
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