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| Council held by Theophilus and the Accusers of John in Rufinianæ. John is summoned to attend, and not being present, was deposed by Them.
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Chapter XVII.—Council
held by Theophilus and the Accusers of John in Rufinianæ. John is
summoned to attend, and not being present, was deposed by Them.
When Theophilus entered
Constantinople, none of the clergy went out to meet him; for his enmity
against the bishop had become publicly known.1607
| 1607References in preceding chapter. Soz. has
independent material.
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Some sailors from Alexandria, however, who chanced to be on the shore,
both from the corn vessels as well as other ships, having collected
together, received him with great acclamations of joy. Passing by the
church, he proceeded directly to the palace, where a lodging had been
prepared for his accommodation. He soon perceived that many people
of the city were strongly
prejudiced against John, and ready to bring accusations against him;
and taking his measures accordingly, he repaired to a place called
“The Oak,” in the suburbs of Chalcedon. This place now
bears the name of Rufinus; for he was a consul, and erected here a
magnificent palace, and a great church in honor of the apostles, Peter
and Paul, and therefore named it the Apostolium; and appointed a
congregation of monks to perform the clerical duties in the church.
When Theophilus and the other bishops met for deliberation in this
place, he judged it expedient to make no further allusion to the works
of Origen, and called the monks of Scetis to repentance, promising that
there would be no recollection of wrongs nor infliction of evil. His
partisans zealously seconded his efforts, and told them that they must
ask Theophilus to pardon their conduct; and as all the members of the
assembly concurred in this request, the monks were troubled, and
believing that it was necessary to do what they were desired by so many
bishops, they used the words which it was their custom to use even when
injured, and said “spare us.” Theophilus willingly received
them into favor, and restored them to communion; and the question
concerning the injuries done to the monks of Scetis was ended. I feel
convinced that this matter would not have been so quickly settled, had
Dioscorus and Ammonius been present with the other monks. But Dioscorus
had died some time previously, and had been interred in the church
dedicated to St. Mocius the martyr. Ammonius, also, had been taken ill
at the very time that preparations were being made for the convocation
of the council; and although he insisted upon repairing to “The
Oak,” yet his malady was thereby greatly increased: he died soon
after his journey, and had a splendid entombment among the monks of
that vicinity, and there he lies. Theophilus, it is said, shed tears on
hearing of his death, and declared that although he had been the cause
of much perplexity, there was not a monk to be found of more exalted
character than Ammonius. It must, however, be admitted, that the death
of this monk tended much to promote the success of the designs of
Theophilus.
The members of the council summoned all the clergy of
Constantinople to appear before them, and threatened to depose those
who did not obey the summons. They cited John to appear and answer; as
likewise Serapion, Tigrius a presbyter, and Paul a reader. John
acquainted them, through the medium of Demetrius, bishop of Pisinus,
and of some of the other clergy, who were his friends, that he would
not avoid investigation, but that he was ready, if the names of his
accusers and the subject of his accusations were made known to him, to
justify his proceedings before a larger council; for he did not choose
to be considered insane, and to recognize his manifest enemies as
judges. The bishops testified so much indignation at the non-compliance
of John, that some of the clergy whom he had sent to the council were
intimidated and did not return to him. Demetrius, and those who
preferred his interests to all other considerations, quitted the
council, and returned to him. The same day, a courier and a shorthand
writer were dispatched from the palace to command John to repair to the
bishops, and to urge the bishops to decide his cause without further
delay. After John had been cited four times, and had appealed to a
general council, no other accusation could be substantiated against
him, except his refusal to obey the summons of the council; and upon
this ground they deposed him. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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