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| Acesius, Bishop of the Novatians, is summoned by the Emperor to be present at the First Council.
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Chapter XXII.—Acesius,
Bishop of the Novatians, is summoned by the Emperor to be present at
the First Council.
It is related, that the
emperor, under the impulse of an ardent desire to see harmony
re-established among Christians, summoned Acesius, bishop of the church
of the Novatians,1129
| 1129Soc. i. 10, who derived it from Auxanon, a
presbyter, who accompanied Acesius to Nice. Cf. i. 13.
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to the council, placed before him the definition of the faith and of
the feast, which had already been confirmed by the signatures of the
bishops, and asked whether he could agree thereto. Acesius answered
that their exposition defined no new doctrine, and that he accorded in
opinion with the Synod, and that he had from the beginning held these
sentiments with respect both to the faith and to the feast. “Why,
then,” said the emperor, “do you keep aloof from communion
with others, if you are of one mind with them?” He replied that
the dissension first broke out under Decius, between Novatius and
Cornelius,1130
| 1130Eus. H. E. vi. 43–46.
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and that he considered such persons unworthy of communion who, after
baptism, had fallen into those sins which the Scriptures declare to be
unto death;1131
for that the remission of those sins, he thought, depended on the
authority of God only, and not on the priests. The emperor replied, by
saying, “O Acesius, take a ladder and ascend alone to
heaven.” By this speech I do not imagine the emperor intended to
praise Acesius, but rather to blame him, because, being but a man, he
fancied himself exempt from sin.1132
| 1132Socrates’ statement of the source of his
information is passed over, as well as his criticism of prejudiced
historians. The comment substituted by Soz. is, nevertheless, a
partially correct interpretation.
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