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| Of the dissension caused by Paulinus; of the innovation by Apollinarius of Laodicea, and of the philosophy of Meletius.
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Chapter
III.—Of the dissension caused by
Paulinus; of the innovation by Apollinarius of Laodicea, and of the
philosophy of Meletius.
It has
been already related how the defenders of the apostolic doctrines were
divided into two parties; how immediately after the conspiracy formed
against the great Eustathius, one section, in abhorrence of the Arian
abomination, assembled together by themselves with Paulinus for their
bishop, while, after the ordination of Euzoius, the other party
separated themselves from the impious with the excellent Meletius,
underwent the perils previously described, and were guided by the wise
instructions which Meletius gave them. Besides these Apollinarius of
Laodicea constituted himself leader of a third party, and though he
assumed a mask of piety, and appeared to defend apostolic doctrines, he
was soon seen to be an open foe. About the divine nature he used
unsound arguments, and originated the idea of certain degrees of
dignities. He also had the hardihood to render the mystery of the
incarnation811
| 811 τὸ τῆς
οἰκονομίας
μυστήριον. Vide note on page 72. | imperfect and affirmed that the
reasonable soul, which is entrusted with the guidance of the body, was
deprived of the salvation effected. For according to his argument God
the Word did not assume this soul, and so neither granted it His
healing gift, nor gave it a portion of His dignity. Thus the earthly
body is represented as worshipped by invisible powers, while the soul
which is made in the image of God has remained below invested with the
dishonour of sin.812
| 812 Adopting Platonic and Pauline psychology giving body, soul and
spirit (cf. 1 Thess. v.
23, and Gal. v. 17) Apollinarius
attributed to Christ a human body and a human soul or anima
animans shared by man with brutes, but not the reasonable soul,
spirit or anima rationalis. In place of this he put the Divine
Logos. The Word, he said, was made Flesh not Spirit, God was manifest
in the Flesh not Spirit. | Many more errors
did he utter in his stumbling and blinded intelligence. At one time
even he was ready to confess that of the Holy Virgin the flesh had been
taken, at another time he represented it to have come down from heaven
with God the Word, and yet again that He had been made flesh and took
nothing from us. Other vain tales and trifles which I have thought it
superfluous to repeat he mixed up with God’s gospel promises. By
arguments of this nature he not only filled his own friends with
dangerous doctrine but even imparted it to some among ourselves. As time
went on, when they saw their own insignificance, and beheld the
splendour of the Church, all except a few were gathered into the
Church’s communion. But they did not quite put away their former
unsoundness, and with it infected many of the sound. This was the
origin of the growth in the Church of the doctrine of the one nature of
the Flesh and of the Godhead, of the ascription to the Godhead of the
Passion of the only begotten, and of other points which have bred
differences among the laity and their priests. But these belong to a
later date. At the time of which I am speaking, when Sapor the General
had arrived and had exhibited the imperial edict, Paulinus affirmed
that he sided with Damasus, and Apollinarius, concealing his
unsoundness, did the same. The divine Meletius, on the other hand, made
no sign, and put up with their dispute. Flavianus, of high fame for his
wisdom, who was at that time still in the ranks of the presbyterate, at
first said to Paulinus in the hearing of the officer “If, my dear
friend, you accept communion with Damasus, point out to us clearly how
the doctrines agree, for he though he owns one substance of the Trinity
openly preaches three essences.813
You on the
contrary deny the Trinity of the essences. Shew us then how these
doctrines are in harmony, and receive the charge of the churches, as
the edict enjoins.” After so silencing Paulinus by his arguments
he turned to Apollinarius and said, “I am astonished, my friend,
to find you waging such violent war against the truth, when all the
while you know quite clearly how the admirable Damasus maintains our
nature to have been taken in its perfection by God the Word; but you
persist in saying the contrary, for you deprive our intelligence of its
salvation. If these our charges against you be false, deny now the
novelty that you have originated; embrace the teaching of Damasus, and
receive the charge of the holy shrines.”
Thus Flavianus in his great
wisdom stopped their bold speech with his true reasoning.
Meletius, who of all men was
most meek, thus kindly and gently addressed Paulinus. “The Lord
of the sheep has put the care of these sheep in my hands: you have
received the charge of the rest: our little ones are in communion with
one another in the true religion. Therefore, my dear friend, let us
join our flocks; let us have done with our dispute about the leading of
them, and, feeding the sheep together, let us tend them in common. If
the chief seat is the cause of strife, that strife I will endeavour to
put away. On the chief seat I will put the Holy Gospel; let us take our
seats on each side of it; should I be the first to pass away, you, my
friend, will hold the leadership of the flock alone. Should this be
your lot before it is mine, I in my turn, so far as I am able, will
take care of the sheep.” So gently and kindly spoke the divine
Meletius. Paulinus did not consent. The officer passed judgment on what
had been said and gave the churches to the great Meletius. Paulinus
still continued at the head of the sheep who had originally
seceded. E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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