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| Liberius, Bishop of Rome, and the cause of his being exiled by Constantius. Felix his Successor.
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Chapter XI.—Liberius,
Bishop of Rome, and the cause of his being exiled by Constantius. Felix
his Successor.
Although what I have recorded
did not occur to Athanasius and the church of Alexandria, at the same
period of time after the death of Constans, yet I deemed it right, for
the sake of greater clearness, to relate all these events collectively.
The council of Milan1308
| 1308Athan. Hist. Arian. 31–46; Ruf. H.
E. i. 21; Soc. ii. 36; Sulp. Sev. H. S. ii. 39: cf.
Theodoret, H. E. ii. 16, dialogue between the emperor and
Liberius; Am. Marcel. xv. 7.
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was dissolved without any business having been transacted, and the
emperor condemned to banishment all those who had opposed the designs
of the enemies of Athanasius. As Constantius wished to establish uniformity of doctrine
throughout the Church, and to unite the priesthood in the maintenance
of the same sentiments, he formed a plan to convene the bishops of
every religion to a council, to be held in the West. He was aware of
the difficulty of carrying this scheme into execution, arising from the
vast extent of land and seas which some of the bishops would have to
traverse, yet he did not altogether despair of success. While this
project was occupying his mind, and before he prepared to make his
triumphal entrance into Rome, he sent for Liberius, the bishop of Rome,
and strove to persuade him to conformity of sentiment with the priests
by whom he was attended, amongst whom was Eudoxius. As Liberius,
however, refused compliance, and protested that he would never yield on
this point, the emperor banished him to Berœa, in Thrace. It is
alleged, that another pretext for the banishment of Liberius was, that
he would not withdraw from communion with Athanasius, but manfully
opposed the emperor, who insisted that Athanasius had injured the
Church, had occasioned the death of the elder of his two brothers,1309
| 1309The dialogue is preserved in Theodoret, H. E.
ii. 16. Cf. Hil. Fragm. v., vi.
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and had sown the seeds of enmity between Constans and himself. As the
emperor revived all the decrees which had been enacted against
Athanasius by various councils, and particularly by that of Tyre,
Liberius told him that no regard ought to be paid to edicts which were
issued from motives of hatred, of favor, or of fear. He desired that
the bishops of every region should be made to sign the formulary of
faith compiled at Nicæa, and that those bishops who had been
exiled on account of their adherence to it should be recalled. He
suggested that after these matters were righted all the bishops should,
at their own expense, and without being furnished either with public
conveyances or money, so as not to seem burdensome and destructive,
proceed to Alexandria, and make an accurate test of the truth, which
could be more easily instituted at that city than elsewhere, as the
injured and those who had inflicted injury as well as the confuters of
the charges dwelt there. He then exhibited the letter written by Valens
and Ursacius to Julius, his predecessor in the Roman see, in which they
solicited his forgiveness, and acknowledged that the depositions
brought against Athanasius, at the Mareotis, were false; and he
besought the emperor not to condemn Athanasius during his absence, nor
to give credit to enactments which were evidently obtained by the
machinations of his enemies. With respect to the alleged injuries which
had been inflicted on his two brothers, he entreated the emperor not to
revenge himself by the hands of priests who had been set apart by God,
not for the execution of vengeance, but for sanctification, and the
performance of just and benevolent actions.
The emperor perceiving that Liberius was not disposed to
comply with his mandate, commanded that he should be conveyed to
Thrace, unless he would change his mind within two days. “To me,
O emperor,” replied Liberius, “there is no need of
deliberation; my resolution has long been formed and decided, and I am
ready to go forth to exile.” It is said, that when he was being
conducted to banishment, the emperor sent him five hundred pieces of
gold; he, however, refused to receive them, and said to the messenger
who brought them, “Go, and tell him who sent this gold to give it
to the flatterers and hypocrites1310
| 1310He means the Arian bishops. It is like the terms
Athanasius employs.
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who surround him, for their insatiable cupidity plunges them into a
state of perpetual want which can never be relieved. Christ, who is in
all respects,1311
| 1311One would have expected from Liberius “the
same,” i.e. ὁμός instead of ὅμοιος.
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like unto his Father, supplies us with food and with all good
things.”
Liberius having for the above reasons been deposed from
the Roman church, his government was transferred to Felix, a deacon of
the clergy there. It is said that Felix always continued in adherence
to the Nicene faith; and that, with respect to his conduct in religious
matters he was blameless. The only thing alleged against him was, that,
prior to his ordination, he held communion with the heterodox. When the
emperor entered Rome, the people loudly demanded Liberius, and besought
his return; after consulting with the bishops who were with him, he
replied that he would recall Liberius and restore him to the people, if
he would consent to embrace the same sentiments as those held by the
priests of the court. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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