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| When the Council was assembled, the Emperor delivered a Public Address.
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Chapter XIX.—When the
Council was assembled, the Emperor delivered a Public Address.
The bishops held long
consultations; and after summoning Arius before them, they made an
accurate test of his propositions; they were intently on their guard,
not to come to a vote on either side. When at length the appointed day
arrived on which it had been decided to settle the doubtful points,
they assembled together1121
| 1121Eus. V. C. iii. 10–12.
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in the palace, because the emperor had signified his intention of
taking part in the deliberations. When he was in the same place with
the priests, he passed through to the head of the conference, and
seated himself on the throne which had been prepared for him, and the
synod was then commanded to be seated; for seats had been arranged on
either side along the walls of the palatial rooms, for it was the
largest, and excelled the other chambers.
After they were seated, Eusebius Pamphilus arose and
delivered an oration1122
| 1122Theodoret, H. E. i. 7, places this oration in
the mouth of Eustathius, bishop of Antioch. The variations in the
speech as recorded by Sozomen, show his classic view of reporting.
Theodoret’s report of Constantine’s address is equally
divergent.
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in honor of the emperor, returning thanks to God on his account. When
he had ceased speaking, and silence was restored, the emperor delivered
himself in the following words: “I give thanks to God for all
things, but particularly, O friends, for being permitted to see your
conference. And the event has exceeded my prayer, in that so many
priests of Christ have been conducted into the same place; now, it is
my desire that you should be of one mind and be partakers of a
consentient judgment, for I deem dissension in the Church of God as
more dangerous than any other evil. Therefore when it was announced,
and I understood you were in discord, an unwholesome thing to hear, I
was deeply pained in soul; and least of all does it profit you, since
you are the conductors of divine worship and arbiters of peace. On this account it is, that I have called
you together in a holy Synod, and being both your emperor and your
fellow-physician, I seek for you a favor which is acceptable to our
common Lord, and as honorable for me to receive, as for you to grant.
The favor which I seek is, that you examine the causes of the strife,
and put a consentient and peaceful end thereto so that I may triumph
with you over the envious demon, who excited this internal revolt
because he was provoked to see our external enemies and tyrants under
our feet, and envied our good estate.” The emperor pronounced
this discourse in Latin, and the interpretation was supplied by one at
his side.
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