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| Concerning St. Meletius and Paulinus, Bishop of Antioch. Their Oath respecting the Episcopal See.
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Chapter III.—Concerning St. Meletius and
Paulinus, Bishop of Antioch. Their Oath respecting the Episcopal
See.
In consequence of this law,
Meletius returned about this period to Antioch in Syria; and his
presence gave rise to great contention among the people.1519
| 1519Soc. v. 5; Ruf. H. E. ii. 21; Theodoret,
H. E. v. 3.
|
Paulinus, whom Valens, from veneration for his piety, had not ventured
to banish, was still alive. The partisans of Meletius, therefore,
proposed his association with Paulinus, who condemned the ordination of
Meletius, because it had been conferred by Arian bishops; and yet the
supporters of Meletius went forward by force into the work they had
devised; for they were not few in number, and so placed Meletius on the
episcopal throne in one of the suburban churches. The mutual animosity
of the two parties increased, and sedition was expected, had not a
remarkable plan for the restoration of concord prevailed. For it seemed
best, to take oaths from those who were considered eligible, or who
were expected to occupy the episcopal see of that place. Of these there
were five besides Flavian. These promised that they would neither
strive for, nor accept the episcopate should an ordination take place
among them during the life of Paulinus and Meletius, and that in the
event of the decease of either of these great men, the other alone
should succeed to the bishopric. On their ratifying this promise with
oaths, unanimity was restored among almost all the people; a few of the
Luciferites still diverged because Meletius had been ordained by
heretics. On the termination of this contest, Meletius proceeded to
Constantinople, where many other bishops had assembled together to
deliberate on the necessity of translating Gregory from the bishopric
of Nazianzen to that of this city.
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