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| Of the Council convened at Nicæa on Account of Arius.
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Chapter XVII.—Of the
Council convened at Nicæa on Account of Arius.
When it was found that the
event did not answer the expectations of the emperor, but that on the
contrary, the contention was too great for reconciliation, so that he
who had been sent to make peace returned without having accomplished
his mission, Constantine convened a synod at Nicæa, in Bithynia,
and wrote1115
to the most eminent men of the churches in every country, directing
them to be there on an appointed day.1116
| 1116Eus. V. C. iii. 7–11; Soc. i. 8; Ruf.
H. E. i. 2. The variations and additions of Theodoret are very
noteworthy. H. E. i. 7.
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Of those who occupied the apostolic sees, the following participated in
this conference: Macarius of Jerusalem, Eustathius, who already
presided over the church of Antioch on the Orontes; and Alexander of
Alexandria near Lake Mareotis. Julius,1117
| 1117Mistake for Silvester. Cf. ii. 20.
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bishop of Rome, was unable to attend on account of extreme old age; but
his place was supplied by Vito and Vicentius, presbyters of his church.
Many other excellent and good men from different nations were
congregated together, of whom some were celebrated for their learning,
their eloquence, and their knowledge of the sacred books, and other
discipline; some for the virtuous tenor of their life, and others for
the combination of all these qualifications. About three hundred and
twenty bishops were present, accompanied by a multitude of presbyters
and deacons. There were, likewise, men present who were skilled in
dialectics, and ready to assist in the discussions. And as was usually
the case on such occasions, many priests resorted to the council for
the purpose of transacting their own private affairs;1118
| 1118Ruf. H. E. i. 2; Soc. i. 8. Soz. here makes,
as usual, a free use of the speech as reported by Rufinus.
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for they considered this a favorable opportunity for rectifying their
grievances, and in what points each found fault with the rest, he
presented a document to the emperor, wherein he noted the offenses
committed against himself. As this course was pursued day after day,
the emperor set apart one certain day on which all complaints were to
be brought before him. When the appointed time arrived, he took the
memorials which had been presented to him, and said, “All these
accusations will be brought forward in their own season at the great
day of judgment, and will there be judged by the Great Judge of all
men; as to me, I am but a man, and it would be evil in me to take
cognizance of such matters, seeing that the accuser and the accused are
priests; and the priests ought so to act as never to become amenable to
the judgment of others. Imitate, therefore, the divine love and mercy
of God, and be ye reconciled to one another; withdraw your accusations
against each other; let us be persuaded, and let us devote our
attention to those subjects connected with the faith on account of
which we are assembled.” After this address, in order to make the
document of each man nugatory, the emperor commanded the memorials to
be burnt, and then appointed a day for solving the doubtful points. But
before the appointed time arrived, the bishops assembled together, and
having summoned Arius to attend, began to examine the disputed topics,
each one amongst them advancing his own opinion. As might have been
expected, however, many different questions started out of the
investigation: some of the bishops spoke against the introduction of
novelties contrary to the faith which had been delivered to them from
the beginning. And those especially who had adhered to simplicity of
doctrine argued that the faith of God ought to be received without
curious inquiries; others, however, contended that ancient opinions
ought not to be followed without examination. Many of the bishops who
were then assembled, and of the clergy who accompanied them, being
remarkable for their dialectic skill, and practiced in such rhetorical
methods, became conspicuous, and attracted the notice of the emperor
and the court. Of that number Athanasius, who was then a deacon of
Alexandria, and had accompanied his bishop Alexander, seemed to have
the largest share in the counsel concerning these subjects.
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