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| Second Arian Persecution under Constantius.
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Part IV.
Second Arian Persecution under
Constantius
28. But the inheritors of the opinions and
impiety of Eusebius and his fellows, the eunuch Leontius1599
| 1599 On
the συνείσακται, vid. [D.C.A. 1939 sqq. Bright, Notes on Canons, p.
839], Mosheim de Rebus Ante Const. p. 599, Routh, Reliqu.
Sacr. t. 2. p. 606. t. 3. p. 445. Basnag. Diss. vii. 19. in
Ann. Eccles. t. 2. Muratori, Anecdot. Græc. p. 218.
Dodwell, Dissert. Cyprian. iii. Bevereg. in Can. Nic. 3.
Suicer. Thesaur. in voc. &c. &c. It is conjectured by
Beveridge, Dodwell, Van Espen, &c., that Leontius gave occasion to
the first Canon of the Nicene Council, περὶ τῶν
τολμώντων
ἑαυτοὺς
ἐκτέμνειν | , who ought not to remain in communion even
as a layman1600
| 1600 Can.
Ap. 17. but vid. Morin. de Pæn. p. 185. | , because he mutilated himself that he
might henceforward be at liberty to sleep with one Eustolium, who is a
wife as far as he is concerned, but is called a virgin; and George and
Acacius, and Theodorus, and Narcissus, who are deposed by the Council;
when they heard and saw these things, were greatly ashamed. And when
they perceived the unanimity and peace that existed between Athanasius
and the Bishops (they were more than four hundred1601
| 1601 After
Sardica, vid. Apol. Ar. 50, note 10. | , from great Rome, and all Italy, from
Calabria, Apulia, Campania, Bruttia, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the
whole of Africa; and those from Gaul, Britain, and Spain, with the
great Confessor Hosius; and also those from Pannonia, Noricum, Siscia,
Dalmatia, Dardania, Dacia, Mœsia, Macedonia, Thessaly, and all
Achaia, and from Crete, Cyprus, and Lycia, with most of those from
Palestine, Isauria, Egypt, the Thebais, the whole of Libya, and
Pentapolis); when I say they perceived these things, they were
possessed with envy and fear; with envy, on account of the communion of
so many together; and with fear, lest those who had been entrapped by
them should be brought over by the unanimity of so great a number, and
henceforth their heresy should be triumphantly exposed, and everywhere
proscribed.
29. Relapse of Ursacius and Valens.
First of all they persuade Ursacius, Valens and
their fellows to change sides again, and like dogs1602
to return to their own vomit, and like swine
to wallow again in the former mire of their impiety; and they make this
excuse for their retractation, that they did it through fear of the
most religious Constans. And yet even had there been cause for fear,
yet if they had confidence in what they had done, they ought not to
have become traitors to their friends. But when there was no cause for
fear, and yet they were guilty of a lie, are they not deserving of
utter condemnation? For no soldier was present, no Palatine or Notary1603
had been sent, as they now send them, nor
yet was the Emperor there, nor had they been invited by any one, when
they wrote their recantation. But they voluntarily went up to Rome, and
of their own accord recanted and wrote it down in the Church, where
there was no fear from without, where the only fear is the fear of God,
and where every one has liberty of conscience. And yet although they
have a second time become Arians, and then have devised this unseemly
excuse for their conduct, they are still without shame.
30. Constantius changes sides again.
In the next place they went in a body to the
Emperor Constantius, and besought him, saying, ‘When we first
made our request to you, we were not believed; for we told you, when
you sent for Athanasius, that by inviting him to come forward, you are
expelling our heresy. For he has been opposed to it from the very
first, and never ceases to anathematize it. He has already written
letters against us into all parts of the world, and the majority of men
have embraced communion with him; and even of those who seemed to be on our side,
some have been gained over by him, and others are likely to be. And we
are left alone, so that the fear is, lest the character of our heresy
become known, and henceforth both we and you gain the name of heretics.
And if this come to pass, you must take care that we be not classed
with the Manichæans. Therefore begin again to persecute, and
support the heresy, for it accounts you its king.’ Such was the
language of their iniquity. And the Emperor, when in his passage
through the country on his hasty march against Magnentius1604
, he saw the communion of the Bishops with
Athanasius, like one set on fire, suddenly changed his mind, and no
longer remembered his oaths, but was alike forgetful of what he had
written and regardless of the duty he owed his brother. For in his
letters to him, as well as in his interview with Athanasius, he took
oaths that he would not act otherwise than as the people should wish,
and as should be agreeable to the Bishops. But his zeal for impiety
caused him at once to forget all these things. And yet one ought not to
wonder that after so many letters and so many oaths Constantius had
altered his mind, when we remember that Pharaoh of old, the tyrant of
Egypt, after frequently promising and by that means obtaining a
remission of his punishments, likewise changed, until he at last
perished together with his associates.
31. Constantius begins to persecute.
He compelled then the people in every city to
change their party; and on arriving at Arles and Milan1605
, he proceeded to act entirely in accordance
with the designs and suggestions of the heretics; or rather they acted
themselves, and receiving authority from him, furiously attacked every
one. Letters and orders were immediately sent hither to the Prefect,
that for the future the corn should be taken from Athanasius and given
to those who favoured the Arian doctrines, and that whoever pleased
might freely insult them that held communion with him; and the
magistrates were threatened if they did not hold communion with the
Arians. These things were but the prelude to what afterwards took place
under the direction of the Duke Syrianus. Orders were sent also to the
more distant parts, and Notaries despatched to every city, and
Palatines, with threats to the Bishops and Magistrates, directing the
Magistrates to urge on the Bishops, and informing the Bishops that
either they must subscribe against Athanasius, and hold communion with
the Arians, or themselves undergo the punishment of exile, while the
people who took part with them were to understand that chains, and
insults, and scourgings, and the loss of their possessions, would be
their portion. These orders were not neglected, for the commissioners
had in their company the Clergy of Ursacius and Valens, to inspire them
with zeal, and to inform the Emperor if the Magistrates neglected their
duty. The other heresies, as younger sisters of their own1606
| 1606 De
Syn. 12, note 11. | , they permitted to blaspheme the Lord, and
only conspired against the Christians, not enduring to hear orthodox
language concerning Christ. How many Bishops in consequence, according
to the words of Scripture, were brought before rulers and kings1607
, and received this sentence from
magistrates, ‘Subscribe, or withdraw from your churches, for the
Emperor has commanded you to be deposed!’ How many in every city
were roughly handled, lest they should accuse them as friends of the
Bishops! Moreover letters were sent to the city authorities, and a
threat of a fine was held out to them, if they did not compel the
Bishops of their respective cities to subscribe. In short, every place
and every city was full of fear and confusion, while the Bishops were
dragged along to trial, and the magistrates witnessed the lamentations
and groans of the people.
32. Persecution by Constantius.
Such were the proceedings of the Palatine
commissioners; on the other hand, those admirable persons, confident in
the patronage which they had obtained, display great zeal, and cause
some of the Bishops to be summoned before the Emperor, while they
persecute others by letters, inventing charges against them; to the
intent that the one might be overawed by the presence of Constantius,
and the other, through fear of the commissioners and the threats held
out to them in these pretended accusations, might be brought to
renounce their orthodox and pious opinions. In this manner it was that
the Emperor forced so great a multitude of Bishops, partly by threats,
and partly by promises, to declare, ‘We will no longer hold
communion with Athanasius.’ For those who came for an interview,
were not admitted to his presence, nor allowed any relaxation, not so
much as to go out of their dwellings, until they had either subscribed,
or refused and incurred banishment thereupon. And this he did because
he saw that the heresy was hateful to all men. For this reason
especially he compelled so many to add their names to the small
number1608
| 1608 Cf.
de Syn. 5, note, and above Ep. Æg. 7. | of the Arians, his earnest desire
being to collect together a crowd of names, both from envy of the Bishop, and for the sake of making
a shew in favour of the Arian impiety, of which he is the patron;
supposing that he will be able to alter the truth, as easily as he can
influence the minds of men. He knows not, nor has ever read, how that
the Sadducees and the Herodians, taking unto them the Pharisees, were
not able to obscure the truth; rather it shines out thereby more
brightly every day, while they crying out, ‘We have no king but
Cæsar1609
,’ and obtaining the judgment of
Pilate in their favour, are nevertheless left destitute, and wait in
utter shame, expecting shortly1610
| 1610 ὅσον
οὐδέπω, above,
13; Const. died Nov. 3, 361 aged 45. | to become bereft,
like the partridge1611
, when they shall
see their patron near his death.
33. Persecution is from the Devil.
Now if it was altogether unseemly in any of the
Bishops to change their opinions merely from fear of these things, yet
it was much more so, and not the part of men who have confidence in
what they believe, to force and compel the unwilling. In this manner it
is that the Devil, when he has no truth on his side1612
| 1612 Vid.
note on §67 [and Bright, Hist. Writings of Ath. p. lxviii.
note 9]. | , attacks and breaks down the doors of them
that admit him with axes and hammers1613
. But our
Saviour is so gentle that He teaches thus, ‘If any man wills to
come after Me,’ and, ‘Whoever wills to be My disciple1614
;’ and coming to each He does not force
them, but knocks at the door and says, ‘Open unto Me, My sister,
My spouse1615
;’ and if they open to Him, He
enters in, but if they delay and will not, He departs from them. For
the truth is not preached with swords or with darts, nor by means of
soldiers; but by persuasion and counsel. But what persuasion is there
where fear of the Emperor prevails? or what counsel is there, when he
who withstands them receives at last banishment and death? Even David,
although he was a king, and had his enemy in his power, prevented not
the soldiers by an exercise of authority when they wished to kill his
enemy, but, as the Scripture says, David persuaded his men by
arguments, and suffered them not to rise up and put Saul to death1616
. But he, being without arguments of reason,
forces all men by his power, that it may be shewn to all, that their
wisdom is not according to God, but merely human, and that they who
favour the Arian doctrines have indeed no king but Cæsar; for by
his means it is that these enemies of Christ accomplish whatsoever they
wish to do. But while they thought that they were carrying on their
designs against many by his means, they knew not that they were making
many to be confessors, of whom are those who have lately1617
| 1617 Apol. Const. 27; Apol. Fug. 4, and below,
§76. | made so glorious a confession, religious
men, and excellent Bishops, Paulinus1618
| 1618 §26, and references there. | Bishop of
Treveri, the metropolis of the Gauls, Lucifer, Bishop of the metropolis
of Sardinia, Eusebius of Vercelli in Italy, and Dionysius of Milan,
which is the metropolis of Italy. These the Emperor summoned before
him, and commanded them to subscribe against Athanasius, and to hold
communion with the heretics; and when they were astonished at this
novel procedure, and said that there was no Ecclesiastical Canon to
this effect, he immediately said, ‘Whatever I will, be that
esteemed a Canon; the “Bishops” of Syria let me thus speak.
Either then obey, or go into banishment.’
34. Banishment of the Western Bishops spread
the knowledge of the truth.
When the Bishops heard this they were utterly
amazed, and stretching forth their hands to God, they used great
boldness of speech against him teaching him that the kingdom was not
his, but God’s, who had given it to him, Whom also they bid him
fear, lest He should suddenly take it away from him. And they
threatened him with the day of judgment, and warned him against
infringing Ecclesiastical order, and mingling Roman sovereignty with
the constitution1619
of the Church, and
against introducing the Arian heresy into the Church of God. But he
would not listen to them, nor permit them to speak further, but
threatened them so much the more, and drew his sword against them, and
gave orders for some of them to be led to execution; although
afterwards, like Pharaoh, he repented. The holy men therefore shaking
off the dust, and looking up to God, neither feared the threats of the
Emperor, nor betrayed their cause before his drawn sword; but received
their banishment, as a service pertaining to their ministry. And as
they passed along, they preached the Gospel in every place and city1620
, although they were in bonds, proclaiming
the orthodox faith, anathematizing the Arian heresy, and stigmatizing
the recantation of Ursacius and Valens. But this was contrary to the
intention of their enemies; for the greater was the distance of their
place of banishment, so much the more was the hatred against them
increased, while the wanderings of these men were but the heralding of
their impiety. For who that saw them as they passed along, did not
greatly admire them as Confessors,
and renounce and abominate the others, calling them not only impious
men, but executioners and murderers, and everything rather than
Christians?E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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